The end of my web experience... or just the beginning?

I have now completed the modules in the Web 2.0 online learning program. I have learnt quite a lot along the way and have enjoyed the experience. It has been a challenge at times though. I have been very busy over the past couple of months and I've really had to apply myself to spend time exploring each module. Exploring can be quite time consuming!!

There are some modules that I have enjoyed more than others but my favourites would definitely be blogging and Flickr. I can definitely see myself using these in the future. It was great learning about podcasts and Library Thing too.

There is definitely a whole wide world out there on the internet and this journey has opened my eyes to just a small portion of what is available. I will definitely use this experience as a learning curve and when I settle into my new home and get a little more time on my hands I will look forward to exploring some of the features I have learned about in more detail.

This course was a great idea and I would certainly recommend others to participate if it is ever available again in the future!

Skype

Skype is a great idea! I haven't used it yet but I do have a friend in the UK who uses Skype. She is always telling me to download it so we can have video chats. I did download the program but it seemed to slow my computer down and I experienced more problems than usual with my Facebook account. I deleted Skype and my computer has gone back to normal! I will however add it again because I'm really keen to see my friend (whom I met online) and hear her English accent!

This is a great way to keep in touch with family and friends and adds a more 'personal' touch than phone calls or instant messaging!

Second Life

Wow, what can I say about Second Life? I'm still trying to really understand the concept. I have used a virtual application in Facebook where you create your own cartoon character, earn money, purchase clothes and furniture for your apartment and interact with other characters from around the world. I guess Second Life is along the same lines but a lot more complex and in-depth! To be honest I have enough trouble keeping up with everyday 'real' life so Second Life is not something I have an interest in joining but I am glad I have an understanding of what it is about. I had heard about this 'virtual' world but wasn't aware of the name or how to find out about it.

Dare I say however, that these virtual worlds will no doubt play more of a role in 'real' life in the future...

MySpace vs Facebook

I already have a Facebook profile and although I was initially reluctant to join I'm now totally addicted! It's a great way to keep in touch with family and friends interstate and overseas. I have to admit it can be a bit of a time waster but it's all in fun. I am familiar with MySpace but do not have a profile. My choice to join Facebook rather than MySpace was purely because most of my family and friends were already on Facebook.

I think there is more creative flair with MySpace; you can jazz up your profile and even have music playing when people log on to your page. Unfortunately Facebook is very limited in this way. Both have their advantages and disadvantages but both are great social networking tools.

Although social networking via the internet is a great tool, it is something that needs to be used in moderation. If someone is always interacting with people behind a computer, they could develop poor people and social skills.

Google maps

Google maps is a fantastic web resource! It's so easy to find directions, all you need to do is enter the address, street or suburb you are leaving from and then your destination and it will give you step-by-step instructions including the distance between each street and turn. So much easier than trying to navigate a Melway while driving!

During the process of looking for a new place to live recently, I used Google maps to look up the address of properties I was interested in so I could see arial views of the street, neighbouring houses and the area in general. It was great! I have also used it to see images of where my overseas friends live. I would definitely recommend this site; check it out for yourself.

iGoogle

I had a lot of fun with this! iGoogle is now my home page. There are so many things you can access easily and the ability to create additional tabs is fantastic. You can arrange gadgets according to categories. For example: home, entertainment, fun, etc.

As for working at Google, who wouldn't want to work there! It's a shame more organisations don't have the money or resources to provide employees with a better working environment, considering so many of us spend so much time at work. I posted the YouTube video to my Facebook account (the first time I've attempted this); it was as easy as 1,2,3!!

Ebooks and Audiobooks

Ebooks and audiobooks are a great resource for those with vision impairment, poor literacy skills or for those who just don't like to read! I found Project Gutenburg to be a good site although it helps to know what you are looking for. I particularly liked the Yarra Plenty Regional Library Overdrive Downloadable Media site. The instructional videos are great and the opportunity to view excerpts is a bonus. Some books can also be burnt to CD; great idea!

The BookCrossing website is a fabulous idea; people all over the world leave their books in a public place for someone else to find and read and can be tracked via the website to see where they have travelled. Not unlike the garden gnomes who travel the world!

Podcasting

I have an iTunes account and can access and subscribe to a number of different podcasts, both audio and video (although I had not explored this until now!). These are free to listen to and subscribe to. Once you subscribe to a particular podcast you will receive updates and new podcasts relevant to the subject, as they become available. If you subscribe to a podcast that is updated daily (such as a radio show) this could mean being vigilant in managing and deleting podcasts that you don't need to keep!

There are many podcasting sites available, some easier to navigate than others. I visited The PodLounge (I wouldn't recommend), Podcast.com (I would recommend) and Yahoo Audio search (I would recommend). Of course if you have an iTunes account you can find and manage your podcasts through the iTunes software.

Podcast can be downloaded to your computer, links emailed to friends or you can add the URL to your online sharing tool (MySpace, Facebook, Blog, etc).

YouTube

YouTube is a great place to find video footage on almost anything! Listen and watch clips on music, sport, television shows, home videos, etc, etc. It can be time consuming looking through videos but if you know what you're looking for it's not so bad. Although I wanted to add a video in relation to the Beijing Olympics and I did spend a lot of time trying to find the right one!

I thought there could have had better instructions or links on adding a video clip to a blog. I already had limited knowledge of YouTube and embedded codes but to those totally new it may have been a little testing trying to get a clip directly to their blog. There were clear links to other sharing resources such as MySpace and Facebook.

I've added a clip of our Aussie swimmers and their wonderful efforts in the pool at these games. As wonderful as they were however, who could top the efforts of Michael Phelps from the USA; eight gold medals is amazing!! I'm quite patriotic and love to hear the national anthem; makes me so proud to be an Australian.

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi !!

My LibraryThing

Another web resource I didn't know existed. I love reading and I love books; I have so many (I am reminded of this each time I have to move house) although I don't think you can ever have too many books! I am actually in the process of moving house at the moment and all my books are packed away in boxes so I had to rely on memory of my favourite books, although I have many more I could add to my library.

I found My LibraryThing easy to use and I love how you can recommendations on books and read the comments of others on books already read or those you want to read (although don't always be put off by negative comments). Also a great resource to use if you know the name or author of a book and need the rest of the details!

Check out what interests me on my library listing on the right hand side of my blog or click on the following link: www.librarything.com/catalog/Kerrie-2008 .

Online photosharing and image generating

Wow, I didn't realise there was so much you could do with digital images over the web. I loved Flickr; great way to share images with family and friends. Flickr allows you to set security so the only people who see your images are those that you allow to see them; fantastic. This site inspires me to get my digital images organised and online (one of these days)!!

The online image generating sites look like a lot of fun. I browsed through a number of them but unfortunately most of them were coming up with page errors and I wasn't able to upload my image. However, I will definitely try again. I did manage to manipulate one image though; see my blog below!

Jigsaw image

This is a picture of my dog Chilli. I created the jigsaw puzzle affect by using FD Flickr Toys. It was so simple and quick too - check it out and try it with your own images!

Face in the rock

face in the rock
Originally uploaded by Kezza-2008

I took this picture in Kilcunda (Victoria, Australia). I was fascinated with what looks like a human face formed in the rock structure. I was in Kilcunda with an entire family who were there to scatter the ashes of a loved one who had recently passed away. It was quite fitting to see this face in the rock at that particular time. Coincidence or a sign from above? I wonder...

To view my other interesting image from Kilcunda, click on the image in this blog and you will be redirected to my Fickr page.

A whole new cyber world...

I've had a very busy week at work and at home and haven't had a real opportunity to explore flickr to it's full advantage. It looks like a whole new cyber world that I knew nothing about (except for the name!). Some of the pictures are breathtaking. I'm looking forward to spending some time on the weekend exploring further.

My thoughts on blogging...

Well I do have to say that I like the concept of blogging. Personally I don't really have a need for it but if I was travelling it would be a great way to keep a journal and keep family and friends informed along the way or if I had a story people would be interested in (ha ha) it would be a great way to story tell! Blogging could be useful in many situations though and I'm glad to have been on this end of the blogging experience.

I've found this blog site quite easy to use and will continue to explore it further during the coming weeks.

My first blog

Although I am quite competent in the use of a computer and the internet, I am very new at blogging. This is the first time I have created my own blog space and this is my very first written blog! I look forward to learning more about the cyber world throughout this six week experience.