Chirp, Chirp, Chirp

There was so much virtual interaction going on for the past few weeks in this class but now that the discussion boards are through with and there's only one assignment left, I can already hear the crickets chirping.  I guess everyone is working on their final project!  I have just a couple more paragraphs to write, and then other than some editing, I guess I'll be done for the semester. Sad, but I suppose all good things have to end.  I have learned so much. Also, while I have used Google docs before, it seems easier this time around.  Maybe because before it was new to me, and now I'm comparing it to the frustration of Joomla... :) 

CMS Interview

Interview with Holly Barfield, IT specialist for Forsyth County Public Library...

1.      How and where did you hear about CMS?

I started hearing about CMS about 5 years ago.  I would see IT articles on the Internet and in popular magazines.

2.      What were your motivations to adopt CMS for its current use (library website or any other purpose)?

To make things easier.  Everything I try to do is to make things easier for staff and patrons.  We use CMS for posting items on our website.  Before CMS, it was a scheduling nightmare because we wanted to change items on the website frequently but with staff having to have IT staff post things for them, it was causing IT to be a bottleneck in the process.  By removing this bottleneck staff can work on their own time schedule and if they don’t like the posting they can edit it immediately.

3.      What was your decision making criteria for choosing the right one and meeting the library’s needs?

We built our own.  We felt like we did not need anything fancy.  We have a great web department that were able to make things happen.  With SharePoint (staff website) it was even easier because we were able to use the security area of SharePoint to lock down CMS to only approved staff.

4.      What is the name of the CMS we are using now?

It does not have a name since we built our own.

5.      What are the important benefits or advantages of CMS we are using now over the old system or another CMS system we've used in the past?

We did not use a CMS system before the previous one.

6.      Are there any disadvantages of the CMS we are using now?

It can always be better and easier to use and have more features.

7.      How was the learning curve for IT and other staff members?

I think it was easier for IT employees than other staff.  I think staff learning how to navigate and work with pictures has been the hardest.  The graphics on certain areas of the CMS have to be a certain ratio and that has been hard for staff to use stand why a picture will not work.

8.      How has the CMS and the ability for other staff members to maintain the website affected the job duties of IT staff members?  (Has it alleviated work or caused new responsibilities?)

I think that it has freed up time for IT staff to work on other tasks.

I work at the same library as Holly, and while  knew how I felt about certain aspects of our new CMS system, it was interesting to hear about its impact on the IT department.  As she mentioned, whenever there used to be an issue with the website, staff members had to send a "Track-It" to IT to fix it, even if it was a slight change such as a typo or deleting an ad for a program when the date has already passed.  It was obviously frustrating for both parties, and the CMS has alleviated some stress for every staff member.  While I use the CMS to update program registrations, I did not realize that our web department created their own system, and I am really impressed with their skills.  Thankfully, I have not had to upload any photos to the site (because I do not have those permissions) but I would not have predicted that would be the most challenging factor when it came to making a community-based site.  While the system was just launched a couple of months ago and is still new and fresh, I am glad to see how much it has benefited those in the IT department, because I know I much prefer being able to erase a registration in a snap on my own, rather than sending a request email for IT to do it and waiting for them to have time to complete the task, as well as sending me a confirmation email that my Track-It has been processed.  Overall, the CMS seems to be great for everyone, and I think it can only get better as it is further developed.

 

Joomla

This is a bit boring and pretty much like my discussion post, but...

http://amywillard.cloudaccess.net/

I found my experience with Joomla to be frustrating but also fun.  It was not very user-friendly, and was also a bit counter-intuitive.  I tried to use Joomla without watching the webinar first, and eventually gave in and went through the step-by-step process.  I find it odd that someone has to watch a pretty long tutorial in order to learn how to even do the basics on the site.  Even more peculiar is that the first step is to erase all the default data that was put in, which is a bit frustrating when trying to create a fresh, new page.  It was also pretty humorous to me that the narrator of the video strongly advised against using the stock templates that were available with the trial, and that a downloadable template that had to be found through a search engine was the recommended format.  Also, it was a bit irritating that the Cloudbase background patterns were simply listed by number, and could only be seen after saving them and going to a “front end” view.  That being said, despite all these bumps in the road, I did enjoy making my site once I got the hang of it.  I liked all of the options I had and how it was easy to insert images with text, and linking the menus to articles was not difficult at all.  Nevertheless, I feel there may be other systems more user-friendly than Joomla, and would shop around before doing anything past the demo or recommending it to others.  

Content Management Systems

So,  apparently I know more about CMS than I  realized, especially since I've been moderating my library's program registration site for a few months now.  I've enjoyed having access to this, but also recognize the downfalls, such as the more people with permission means a higher potential for error.  One example I gave on the discussion board this week is another staff member deleting all the patrons who had signed up for an event simply by clicking on a red "X" because she thought it would only erase one participant who had cancelled.  IT was able to recover the information, but it definitely caused a headache.  Alright, on to relax and listen to this thunderstorm, Joomla will be on the tackling block tomorrow.  I have no idea what a tackling block is, but it seemed to make more sense than saying chopping block since I don't plan on berating Joomla and sending it home until the reunion show.

Wikity Wikity Wikity Whack

This endeavor was actually not whack at all, but it's hard to pass up on a Kriss Kross "Jump" reference, and in all fairness, this class has made me feel a little backwards and confused, much like the clothing of this dynamic rap duo.  That being said, here's the rundown:

Forsyth County Library
Type: Public
Branches: 3, with another planned to open in the next 2 years
Population: 175,000+, consisting of people of all ages
Services: print and eBooks, materials available for every age group (bilingual, graphic novels, periodicals, music, DVD collection, audio books, etc.) streaming video collection, story time or book club for all cohorts, Facebook, website, and blog pages

Wiki goal:  To encourage patrons to feel as if they are "part of the library's progress" by providing them with a virtual platform for interacting with other consumers as well as staff through discussions and link-sharing, as well as provide consistent feedback to help keep the facility current and meeting the needs of the community.  

Wiki Requirements: Easy for new users including staff and patrons, so must be in WYSIWYG format.  Free and open source sharing (that can be manually moderated by staff), and page history available.

I compared 4 wikis, Bananadance, Mindtouch, MojoMojo, and WetPaint.  Mindtouch seemed to be the best choice, because it had the most specific information of the four, and appeared to be the most versatile.  For example, Bananadance was quickly ruled out because it was only in the beta phase, and much of the cells describing WetPaint were blank or vague.  Mindtouch clearly stated that it was useful for technical or non-technical users, and was the only one that was succint when listing the operating systems it could be utilized on (Windows, Mac, Linux, etc.). It met all the requirements including WYSIWYG editing, open source sharing, and page history available, as well as contained some extra bonuses such as keeping track of most popular pages, providing a calendar so patrons could keep up with events, and including a plugin for a mobile application.  Overall, the versatility of Mindtouch seems like it will be the most useful in allowing patrons to contribute to the growth of the Forsyth County Public Library, and would hopefully help them feel as if they had access to this vital community center, even remotely.

Eat My Brain and Gain My Knowledge

Actually, I wouldn't recommend it at this moment, because my mind feels like it is mellllting.  Tired and loopy, though I have enjoyed reading everyone's discussion board posts tonight.  Tomorrow I will finish up the last bit and see what I can learn about wikis.  As Dominique Tremblay mentioned, "With all these tweets, discussions, and blogs, this course feels like an information explosion!"  I would certainly have to agree, and this is certainly the most interactive class I have taken thus far.  Even though I was kind of dreading all this new info at first, I am actually really liking this weird sensation of being tech-savvy.  Now we'll see if I like it enough to keep it up after the class...I might have to take a "summer break" from all the information overload, the pool is already calling my name...or once again, that might just be an auditory hallucination caused by fatigue...     

Hey RSS Feed...is this working? So confused.

Twitter and RSS Feeds

I'm finding Twitter's format a lot easier to use than Blogger.  It seems like there's so many editing sections when you log onto this page, but most of them don't resemble my actual blog.  I much prefer Twitter, even though I am still new to it, because it seems easier to browse and make changes.  Now, onto RSS feeds. Is anyone able to comment on this? Just curious because I am having trouble finding an outline of what my settings preferences actually are. Thanks!

The Beginning

Well, I am very excited to be in this class, and while I thought I knew very little about Web 2.0, this week's lecture made me realize I know a little more than I thought.  Ironically, while most people seem to be progressing in technology, I seem to be getting left behind.  As a middle/high school student, I was an avid Napster (and Bearshare..and Limewire...) user, as well as a constant AIM  chatter, and Geocities site creator. I used Myspace and Facebook fairly early, and find it ironic that none of my friends would sign up for social networking sites, but now all of them have joined one and I have pretty much lost interest.  I have never used Twitter or blogged, and am learning about wikis and RSS feeds.  I am a little bit left behind by technology, mainly by choice. For example, I don't have a smart phone because most of them have keyboards and touch pads, which makes it hard to text with one hand or without looking.  I haven't been impressed with any gaming systems since Super Nintendo because all of the new controllers have too many buttons for me.  Laptops without wireless keyboards drive me up the wall because I always accidentally move the page around or go back to a previous site when I'm trying to erase something.  I was also in denial that VHS tapes were becoming obsolete, at least until my Blockbuster switched to completely to DVD, but now all the Blockbuster stores near me have been replaced by grocery store Redbox machines...Obviously, technology is constantly changing, and I hope this class helps me keep up with the times!