Thing 23--Evaluate

Yea--finally through ALL of the 23 Things!  I am glad that I went through it all but I'm not sure that I'd do another similar program.  I think that the amount of time that it took and its exclusive focus on apps were negatives; on the positive side, it did increase my familiarity with social media.  More importantly, I became much more comfortable using our library's iPad, which is the only mobile device that I use.  23 Things didn't convince me that I'm missing a lot by not having a device--I was surprised how many of the apps seemed to not measure up to some of their website equivalents.  A final plus of going through 23 Things was chatting with or working with colleagues who were also doing the program--margueritas are in our future!

Thing 21--Free for All

Through Quixey I discovered that there is an imdb app.  It's one that I would reference if I had a mobile device, as I've come to rely on the imdb website as my movie question source.  Provides comprehensive info on the film plus showtimes in your area.

Since I only use the mobile devices at my library, I don't have other favorites from personal use.  While doing 23 Things, however, I definitely enjoyed the Life magazine app, and I know that I would be referring to the TED talk app often...  Haiku Deck and Magisto would be others that I would like to explore more.

Thing 22--Discovering Apps

Used Appsforfree and found that the Kayak PRO Flights, Hotels & Cars was being offered free.  Seemed like a great choice, as I'm in the middle of planning a fall trip.  However, I found that the app was nowhere near as helpful as TripAdvisor or other websites I've used.  Many of the accommodations that I located through Kayak PRO did not have photos, prices or reviews available. The flights part of the app was equally disappointing--the way that it displays the information is visually confusing.  I much prefer the well-known travel websites or the airlines themselves.  I looked at several days' worth of Appsforfree and the majority of entries were for games; however, I think this would be a site I'd check periodically to see what app "bargains" are out there.

Found the YP Local Search & Gas Prices app through Quixey.  Very convenient downloading the apps thru Quixey and not having to go through the app store.  When I searched for restaurants in the city where I live, YP listed at least one that has been closed for several months, and the reviews were quite random and very few.  A nice feature was that I could link to the menus.  The gas price feature would be very nice to have handy.

Thing 20--Games

Would have lots of fun with some of these games, given an iPad and the free time.  Really liked WordCollapse, especially the movie quotes and song lyrics.  Also tried Temple Run but decided that I would never make it past the first round against anyone under 30! 

Thing 19--Hobbies

I explored MyGarden and was not impressed.  There didn't seem to be an option for searching plants, conditions, zones, etc, and the plants themselves weren't even in alphabetical (or any other discernable) order.  There are so many wonderful garden sites on the web that I can't imagine using this app.

Had a much better experience with Spotify.  Was able to locate several artists/songs, and even the First Lady's playlist.  Reminded me of Pandora.

Thing 18--Education

Oh, if I had a mobile device, I'd be using many of these education apps!  Especially liked the TED talks one;  it's such a "librarian thing," but is there anything better than listening to several TED talks and FEELING yourself get smarter?!!? 

Ditto those comments on the Life for iPad app.

Didn't have luck locating the Fooducate app, which looked very interesting.  Was disappointed by the Eat This, Not That one, in that it only allowed limited access unless the user is willing to push things out to social media.

I'm not sure that I understood the Khan Academy one.  Lots of interesting topics, but the main impression it left with me is that it didn't present its credentials.  If I had had the time, I would have listened to his TED talk (see above) in its entirety...

Thing 16--Audio

Got stuck on Audioboo; both a colleague and I were unable to register.  Perhaps it's an issue with their site today or the stormy weather?

Much better luck with SoundCloud.  Think it would be such fun for far-away parents, grandparents, etc. to record stories for the children in their lives.  Also searched out several recording artists and see how it would be fun to create something of a "play-list."

Thing 17--Connecting to Community

Checked out the Duluth news and weather on the NNC app, as I am headed there for the weekend...

Also searched for any similar apps for areas in Maine where I'll be vacationing later this year (not many, but sure found some great photos!)

Finally, looked at MPR's app, which I would use a lot if I had an iPad.

Thing 13--Presentations

Played with Haiku Deck and can see that it would be a really fun tool for presentations.  Would be fun to do one about a library event and then post on Facebook.

Thing 15--Infographics

Designed something on Visualize.  I wasn't able to be as creative as I'd like because the Ipad is not mine but the library's--would be fun to try using my own photos or graphics.  I think to really be proficient with Visualize, you'd need a lot more time to "play" than I have!

Also looked at Infographics Hub.  Overall, I don't think that this was one of the best "things..."

Thing 14--Videos

Really enjoyed using Magisto to make a video using photographs of an event at our library.  I think that this could be used creatively to market upcoming events or publicize how great some of our past events were!

Thing 12--Books, Books, & More Books

I chose to explore Audiobooks, because it seemed like something to share with patrons at the reference desk.  After looking at the app, I still think it might have some limited use with patrons, especially students who are in need of a classic "today" and every library copy is checked out.  However, the volunteer narrators made me really appreciate the pros that do the audios I listen to; don't know that I could listen to an entire book read by some of these folks.  I was also a bit appalled that the authors are alphabetized by first name! 

Another limited use might be for customers who are looking for books in another language, though the number of those titles seemed quite small.

Thing 10--Sharing Photos

A colleague and I explored Instagram together, and I was able to find a Facebook contact and follow him on Instagram.  But time and a hesitation to give too many permissions with the library's iPad kept me from exploring this a great deal.  I'll have to take others' word that it is necessary to have this in addition to Facebook...not enough hours in my day!

Thing 9--Taking and Editing Photos

I used Photo Editor by Aviary to photograph my exciting office space (the iPad is the library's, not mine...)  Was very comfortable playing with the editing features, since they are similar to Shutterfly, a website that I have spent days on. 

Thing 8--Social Media Management Tools

I already use Facebook personally, so I explored Twitter.  I found it quite confusing, but it was good to search for some people and see how I'd follow their Tweets.  Hmmm...do I make Kim Kardashian or Pope Francis my priority...?  I don't see myself adding this to my list of email accounts, voicemail accounts, Facebook account, etc.  I can see its applications for celebrities who want to increase their profile/appeal, or for a job search.  But personally, I don't consider communications of 140 characters or less worth the time it would take to check another account.

Thing 11--Library & Reference

I looked at the ELM Mobile webpage and was initially intrigued by the "Find items on MN History" tab.  However, when I clicked on it, it would only list collections through the "B's."   Tried it on my desktop and it worked fine.  Lots of good resources!  Also checked out the Research Project Calculator.  Finally, I looked at the databases to see if the interfaces were similar on the iPad to the desktop. 

Finally, I checked out the DCL mobile app.  When I searched for an item, it did not list the number of holds, which is something that one can learn from our regular online catalog.  That, and a couple of other quirks, make me think that if I owned an iPad I would always use the full website for more detailed, reliable results.

Thing 7--Content Saving & Sharing

Downloaded and played with Pinterest--addictive!  I'm now guessing that the 30-somethings in my family will never use a recipe card again!  I think that this would be a good tool even if one doesn't have multiple devices, and an essential one if multiple devices ARE in your life.  Created some boards which will probably expand exponentially in future days.  Also looked at what some libraries are doing--loved Owatonna Public's RA postings.

Thing 6--Creating & Editing Docs

Used Quickoffice to open, create, and save a file.  Found the navigation rather confusing, probably in part because I'm not used to a mac interface--?

Thing 5--Notetaking

Looked at Remember the Milk and wasn't convinced it was an improvement over the list clipped to my datebook!  Springpad had some nice features but I don't think navigating thru it is at all intuitive.  Might be useful for recipes, though if I had a WiFi portable device I'd probably go to the recipe websites that I already know and love...

Thing 4--Keeping Up

Had no luck with downloading/using Zite, so tried Flipboard.  Much more user-friendly.  If I had a mobile device, this app might be something I'd use, though the articles on photography and travel that I looked at didn't seem real mainstream.  I'm probably more likely to look at something like National Geographic online for photography or local newspapers/NYT for current events.  I don't have a lot of confidence at this point in who chooses the site options for Flipboard or what their criteria is.  I'd have to have a whole lot more spare time than I currently do to "play" with Flipboard!

Thing 3--Utilities

Used Google Search. Goggles didn't recognize much on my desk!  It did, however, tell me more about every book I photographed.  And it did recognized a couple of logos that I tried.  Also tried the Books app--was pleased that it offered a number of options for purchasing books, including IndieBound.  And was very impressed that it found the nearest library location of a book I searched.

Also tried the Offers and Translations apps.

Was very unimpressed with the presenter of  iPad iOS 7 Overview video: why do people who know technology have such a hard time sharing it?  First rule of public speaking is "consider your audience," and unless he considers that everyone watching this is already very familiar with their iPad, he's missed them.  So I ended up at the Pocket Lint site and spent most of my time there.

I don't own my own iPad, and we just updated our branch's to ios7, so the quick settings panel was new to me.  Had the most fun playing with the directions feature--especially the walking directions.

First of 23

Thing 1 is this registration!