THING 4 -- Social Networking

Kind of like Instant Messaging, the idea of Social Networking rubs me the wrong way. First off, I am not a very "social" person (in the real world, let alone the cyber one). My friends outside of the Library know this all too well. Yet, many of my friends and colleagues here are always taken aback to hear that I am truly a naturally unfriendly person. Yes, I can turn on a more outgoing version of myself when I am serving the public (MANDY 2.0), but when I'm on my own time, I can be very standoffish (but hopefully not rude). Actually, some of the people who work at the Library have probably seen this side. If I don't know you well, I can get inappropriately shy or quiet (as opposed to the blabbering fool I usually am). I have MANY good people in my life. These relationships are based on genuine feelings. I do not want fair-weathered friends and do not aspire to use or be used by people. But once again, I digress...here are my thoughts on the four Social Networking tools we are supposed to explore.

MySpace: I believe MySpace started out as a networking tool for the entertainment industry, then really took off with the "young adult" set. I know it has even broadened its appeal over the years, as both my 35-year-old brother and 27-year-old sister both use it a lot to keep in touch with friends and keep up-to-date on bands and other performers. I did consider signing up about a year ago, but I guess I must continue the tradition of being the difficult middle child who refuses to follow trends. Knowing my siblings, their pages are fun and appropriate, not wild and scandalous. I must admit that is another reason I shy away from MySpace...it's got a somewhat bad reputation. I've viewed some really nice pages, and I've also come across some downright raunchy ones. Lastly, MySpace gives users the option to upload so many audio, video, and graphics displays, that my little computer just can't take it!

Facebook: I have been on Facebook for some time now, yet I hardly ever use it. It's funny that it seems less flashy than MySpace, but I think it was originally geared to a high school and college age group, whereas MySpace wasn't. I also know more people who use Facebook. It's neat that it helps me keep up with one of my best friends who has lived out of the country for 10 years now, then again, e-mail does the same thing with much less "showiness." I only really check in when someone else has made contact with me, thus my unfriendliness has served me well in cyberspace, too!

LinkedIn: I've been a part of LinkedIn for about a year. I think "they" contacted me...I can't really remember what happened. I've been meaning to update and lengthen my profile, but real life has taken precedence. Let's see, I did re-establish a friendship through LinkedIn. I also think it could help in regards to marketing my freelance endeavors. I need to re-explore LinkedIn soon. I will post an update when I do...I promise!

Eons: I'm not in the right age bracket for this site. I think it is a nice idea though.

Other sites: I know people who just love LibraryThing. I've explored it, but again, it is just not a top priority for me...maybe in the future.

Another weird phenomenon is that online dating sites are now trying to become online networking sites. I know this through a friend (yes, a friend) who has used these sites. I guess now many of them are allowing you to "friend" potential mates as well as other platonic friends. I am not a fan of online dating, but this really appears to be its downfall. I don't see it beneficial that you can develop relationships with other potential suitors of your match. It really seems like high school...well, not my experience, as I went to an all-girls school, but you know what I mean. I know a couple people who have found love through a web site, yet for everyone who does, there are thousands more just hanging on hope for a relationship whose real foundation is a keyboard and mouse. This is my problem with Social Networking in general...as humans we need to continue to explore real ways to communicate and make a difference in the lives of our loved ones, not establish pseudo-friendships where we've never even seen the person!! How much longer before we morph into computers ourselves?! Hey, where'd that soapbox come from?? I guess I should step off it now. BYE!

THING 3 -- Instant Messaging

OK, I have IM'd a lot over the years, mostly with AOL Instant Messager (AIM). My brother and sister have a lot of friends all over the country, so I know it is a valuable tool for someone like them. Most of my friends live in Illinois or are at least a phone call away. I do have a very dear friend who lives in Sweden, but her schedule (and growing family) doesn't really make IMing as convenient as one would think (not to mention the fact that we are in very different time zones).

I am one of those people who could have a three-hour phone conversation and not really realize it. I prefer it that way. If I want to write something to a friend, I'll get them a greeting card. If I'm in the mood to communicate via the Web, I'll e-mail them and wait for a response. The one exception was when my sister was in vet school in the Caribbean. It cost too much to talk to her and we could have quick (and sometimes mindless) conversations just to keep in touch. Even though my sister lives less than an hour from me now, we still check in via IM, but it is mostly to send each other wacky YouTube video links that only we would enjoy.

All this being said, I am intrigued by the idea of virtual reference and using IMs to engage with patrons online. I think it may take off, yet I still think most patrons like the face-to-face contact with the librarian...I know I do.

While My Blog Gently Weeps...

So I asked my good friend "Mrs. Fisher" to vote on my "Who was the most talented Beatle?" poll. Her response to the question was something like "I don't know...who cares?" Touche, Mrs. Fisher. Still, I guilted her into voting. But, Mrs. Fisher was right; I should have added her initial response as one of the choices. Unfortunately, since the poll is already in-session, I cannot change or add choices. Touche, Blogger. I guess this just goes to show that if the shoe doesn't fit or if we simply feel guilted into it, we sometimes just pick an answer to appease the poller. Touche, Census Bureau.

Mandy

P.S. I fully realize I am misusing the word "touche," but I'm in a weird mood right now, so just leave it be. Touche, Postscript.

THING 2.1

I have added five RSS feeds to the side of this page:

AP Top Strange News -- The headlines alone are entertainment with these strange-but-true stories. My father has always been fond of bizarre news stories, so I guess it's in the genes. Check out the other AP news feeds as well; I subscribe to general news and entertainment. I volunteered with the Associated Press in college, so I guess I am a little biased.

Library Stuff -- I felt the need to have one library-related feed on the page. Library Stuff is good, but I may change it if someone suggests a better site. (ANYONE? ANYONE?) Many of the blogs I read also have a connection to libraries, so I should see what they suggest as well.

The Muppet Newsflash -- The Muppets are truly a huge part of my life (and also part of the reason I am still single). I definitely need to be up-to-date! I also visit Muppet Central and the Muppet Wiki, as well as some Muppet blogs. Just call me "Mandy Henson."

TMZ.com -- TMZ is by far my favorite celebrity information site. I don't know if gossip is the right word, as there are many videos and interviews. It's just a great link to the pop culture world. I also visit two less politically correct sites -- Perez Hilton (for true gossip) and Best Week Ever (for pop culture humor). The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) also has a nice page devoted to the latest in entertainment news. Lastly, People magazine...I can't go a day without checking the site, just as I can't go a week without reading the actual magazine!

TV Shows on DVD -- This site keeps me informed as to the latest television DVD releases. I grew up on 70's and 80's sitcoms and watching old episodes is still my No. 1 stress reliever. This site gave me a heads-up when classics like "Taxi," "Welcome Back, Kotter," "One Day at a Time," "Mork & Mindy," and "Bosom Buddies" were coming out. It also has helped me pinpoint release dates for various anthologies, mini-series, variety shows, and the like. Lesser-known favorites -- "Alias Smith and Jones," "Mission Magic," "Tanner '88," "The Littles," and "Red Dwarf" -- are also listed. According to the site, the first season of "The Love Boat" might be sailing our way in 2008...let's keep our fingers crossed that it includes the two original made-for-TV movies...I loved watching those because they made you appreciate the show's actual cast.

OK, I ended up subscribing to a total of 20 feeds so far...this can be addicting. However, because I surf these sites regularly, it may be a helpful addiction (hmmm...are there any helpful addictions...this would make good fodder for my comments section). I am not going to post feeds for the rest of these sites, but I plan to add links to the Web sites at some point. I promise there will be some more serious sites...just based on this post, I seem like a very trivial person...I hope you all know it's a front...ha!

THING 2 -- RSS and Feed Readers

WOW...subscribing to feeds may save me a lot of time!

You see, the first thing I do when I wake up and the last thing I do before I go to bed is to visit about a dozen of my favorite Web sites. This is all so I can continue to be the impeccable source of information that I am (OK, you can stop laughing now). Anyways, even with such grea Web sites, it can still take a long time to sift through the stories to get to what I need to know...you know, the essentials: what's tops at the box office, who's in rehab, and what's the latest toy with lead paint in it. This is all made easier by subscribing to RSS feeds. I am officially "IN THE KNOW."

As of right now, I've subscribed to 17 feeds in just a few minutes!! That might seem like a lot, but what can I say, I majored in journalism. I will be adding my top five to this blog in the next few days...BE WARNED!

THING 1.1

I've commented on numerous staff blogs and will be ready to tackle THING 2 next week!

THING 1 -- Welcome to My Blah Blah Blog!

I've accomplished Thing 1!! I've set up a blog!! This is all part of Skokie Public Library's "10 Things" initiative for staff. I really do believe EVERYONE who calls a library their workplace should be aware of all the advances in information technology, so I must applaud all the hard work that went into planning and coordinating this initiative. I actually set up a blog on another hosting site a few years back and I only posted once...so you can expect that my blogging tenure will be vast and impressive!! Heh...this time I will post at least 10 times, making me a bloggin' fool in my book.

I do read many blogs. Some are work-related, others are entertainment-related, and some are just personal blogs of friends and friends of friends.

Speaking of personal blogs:
While my friends say I wear my heart on my sleeve, I will not wear my heart on my computer screen, so I am not going to share too much personal stuff. BUT, I will be sharing my progress with the "10 Things." Who knows, I MAY pepper this blog with other trivialities (e.g., favorite Web sites, dorky quizzes, or even poor attempts on social commentary). "MAY" is the key word. I look forward to seeing where all this goes.

Until Thing 2 (or Thing 1.1.)
Mandy