Thing #2: RSS

In Thing #1 you started your own blog. Now that you know something about blogs, perhaps you have discovered some that you would like to keep reading. RSS feeds can help you do that.

Define:

What exactly is RSS?

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. It is difficult to explain what RSS is, but, in the simplest terms, if you find you like a particular web site or blog, you can subscribe to it and have updates sent to you automatically. Instead of having to go check the site to see if there is something new on it, updates come to you when there is a change or something new on the site.

Enjoy this video which does a good job of explaining RSS in Plain English (note: Google Reader is used in the video. If you set up a gmail account for your Playtime 2.0 activities, you may want to use Google Reader, too. If not, we will be using Bloglines. Either way you’ll get the gist):

What is a feed reader?

As you learned in the video, before you can subscribe to feeds, you need to set up a feed reader. The feed reader is a website that will collect all of your feeds in one place. There are many to choose from, but the most popular feed readers are Bloglines, Google Reader, and MyYahoo.

Do:

If you have a gmail account, you might want to use Google Reader as your feed reader.
Log into your gmail account then click on "Reader" in the menu of choices at the top of the page. Follow the instructions on the Reader page.

For those of you who used another service for your email, we will set up an account with Bloglines.
At the Bloglines site, use the email account you created for Playtime 2.0 to "Register For Your Free Account."

After you register, Bloglines will send a link to your email account. When you validate your email address, Bloglines displays Bloglines Quick Picks and Popular Subscriptions for you to select from. Pick one or two from this list and click the Subscribe button to get started.
Your Bloglines page will display, with your subscriptions listed on the left side with other helpful links. Subscriptions with new, unread-by-you information will be in bold. When you click on a subscription, the latest information from that site is displayed on the right.

Don't forget to write down your Bloglines login and password information and bookmark your account so you can go back to it easily.

How to know when a page has a feed available.

When you are surfing the Internet, look for this symbol or something like this on websites. The symbol means that there are feeds available.

Find a few more feeds to put on your account. You can do this several ways.
The easiest way is through Bloglines:
Click on the Feeds tab above your subscriptions and then click "Add." Enter a website address (URL) in the search box and click the Subscribe button. Bloglines will find feeds on that site. To subscribe, scroll to the bottom of the page (ignore/accept the Bloglines defaults) and click on the Subscribe button.

If you are visiting a website that you would like to subscribe to, copy and paste the address of the website into the "Add" box on your Bloglines account

- Subscribe to your own blog and watch your posts appear in your Bloglines account
- Add other Playtime 2.0 Participant's blogs - this will help you keep up-to-date on what they have to say about the Things, their discoveries, and comments.
- Add some of the blogs or feeds available on the Library's website. they are listed on the RSS page
- Add feeds from the library blogs that you looked at in Thing #1.

Now, let's write your "Thing #2: RSS" blog post
Browse to the "Playtime" blog you created in Thing #1 (it should be listed in the Participants' Blogs on the right) and create a new post.
Use "Thing #2: RSS" as the title of your blog post.
In the post, write about:
- What do you like or dislike about RSS and newsreaders?
- How do you think you might be able to use this technology in the Library or in your personal life?
- Did you find any great blogs we should all add to our feed readers?

You're all finished with Thing #2
You learned what RSS is and why you might want to use it.
You learned about feed readers (or news readers or aggregators) and created an account at Bloglines
You learned how to know when an RSS feed is available on a website or blog.

We hoped you enjoyed learning about RSS!
Leave us a comment, if you like.

Next, get ready for some more fun as we explore Social Networking in Thing #3.

Thing #1: Blogs

All right! Are you ready to get down to some serious play? Let's learn about blogs!
(Tip: Before you get started, it would be a good idea to print out each Thing to refer to as you work on it)
Define:

Do you know what a blog is?

Grab yourself a fresh cup of coffee/tea or a Coke, and enjoy this 3-minute video about blogs:



Discover:

Now that you know what they are, let's take a moment to explore some library blogs.
** Warning: Blogs can be addictive...and time consuming! Read a few of these examples, then come back at another time if you want to read more. **
- Feel-good Librarian - “the true stories of one small middle-aged Reference librarian, sheltered safely somewhere in a Midwestern public library”
- Library Garden - a group blog from several NJ librarians
- MADreads - Madison Public Library’s book review blog
- The Shifted Librarian - Jenny Levine and cool technologies for libraries
- Tame the Web - Michael Stephens’ blog about libraries and technology
- Stephen's Lighthouse - "Stuff of interest to me that may be of interest to library folk."
If you enjoy the truly irreverent, take a peek at:
- A Librarian's Guide to Ettiquette - "A polite librarian is a good librarian."
And don't forget our own blogs! See these on our website:
What's New @ Roselle Publc Library - just what the name implies
The Blogger Book Club - news and reviews of books from the Youth Services collection

How can libraries use blogs to connect with their patrons?
As you learned in the video, blogs are all about spreading the news. Libraries use blogs to:
- promote library events
- list new arrivals of books, movies, music, etc.
- review books
- provide community news
- reach a new audience of web-savvy patrons
Think about other ways that libraries can use blogs.

Do:

And now, let's create your blog!
You will be using your blog as an online journal for your Playtime 2.0 experience. After completing each Thing, you'll write a post related to that Thing. A TEAM member will keep track of your progress by reading your posts and also be available for help and hand-holding if you need it.

To help your TEAM member track your progress, use the Thing # as the title of your Playtime 2.0-related posts (e.g. Thing #1: Blogs)
Feel free to use your blog for non program-related posts as well.
Although you may decide to delete your Playtime 2.0 blog after the program is over, you might find that you like blogging so much, you’ll keep it up - which would be awesome!

You will set up your Playtime 2.0 blog at Blogger. There are other blogging services that you might want to look at on the Web, like WordPress, but for this program, we will use Blogger.

Go to Blogger and click on the orange “Create a Blog" button.
Step 1: Use the email account you created in Getting Started to create an account at Blogger; use a password that you will remember (Write it down!).
Step 2: Name your blog and give it a URL (a web address). For the name, think of something that is unique to you, the program, or the library (You can change the name at any time).
Step 3: Choose a template (You can always change this later, too).
Congratulations! You have a blog.

Now you are ready to write your first blog post.
Use "Thing #1: Blogs" as the title of your blog post.
In the post, write about:
- your experience with Blogger
- a few of the library blogs you sampled
- your ideas for making better use of blogging at Roselle Library.
- your opinion about blogs: a good thing? a bad thing?
When you're finished writing, click “Publish.”
Click “View Blog” to take a look at your blog.

To complete this Thing, let us know about your blog.
Send an email to TEAM 2.0 at rpldplaytime20@gmail.com to register your blog.
In the email include:
1. your (real) name
2. your screen name, if different than your real name
3. the name of your blog
4. the address of your blog (this is the "http://..." that is in the address bar of your browser when your blog is open on the screen)
Your TEAM member will acknowlege your blog either by email or by commenting on your post.
We will also place a link to your blog in the Participants' Blogs list in the right sidebar of Playtime 2.0 so you, and everyone else, can access it easily.

You're all finished with Thing #1
You explored a little about what blogs are and you looked at a few examples
You discovered how blogs are being used by libraries to connect with patrons.
You played with Blogger, ceated your own blog and registered it with the Playtime TEAM.
We hoped you learned a lot about blogs!

Optional BONUS activities:
With each Playtime 2.0 Thing, we will add a few optional bonus activities.
There are blogs on any subject you can imagine! Look for blogs on a topic that you're interested in at Technorati or Google Blog Search.
Add a few blogs to your blog's link list. Click here for instructions on how to add a link list and other page elements to your Blogger blog.

If you'd like to learn more about blogs and libraries:
- read Darlene Fichter's article at Information Today: Why and How to Use Blogs to Promote Your Library's Services.
- read the article on WebJunction: Blogs for Libraries

What a great start! Wasn't that fun? Next week we will move on to Thing #2. It's all about RSS!
Leave us a comment about Thing #1 if you like.

Getting Started

Welcome to Week 1 of Playtime 2.0 @ RPLD. Have you read the FAQ and the Tips & Tricks? Link to them from the Index to the right and read them before you begin.

Here is just a quick review of the program you are about to begin:
Each Monday morning for the next 10 weeks, a new Thing will be published on this blog. To finish the program (and be eligible for the Grand Prize Drawing), staff members must complete each of the 10 Things by the end of April - a little over 15 weeks. Things will remain available on this program blog beyond the time that the program officially ends in April.

Let's recap WIIFM (What's in it for me)?? There will be incentives and recognition along the way and a drawing for several prizes at the end of the program.
Aside from a chance for material gain, this program will:

• expose you to emerging technologies that you are hearing about and which many of our patrons are already using
• encourage learning through play (with the focus on ”participation”, not necessarily on doing something ”right”)
• empower and encourage you to take responsibility for your own lifelong learning
  
• expand your knowledge and confidence
• eliminate fear of the unknown
• discover how these technologies and tools can promote the Library’s mission

Before you get started, please take a minute to let us know how much you already know about Web 2.0. This will help us see how well the program works. Tell us what you know about 2.0! When you are finished with the survey, use your browser's Back button to return to this page.

~~~~~

Welcome back! Now you are ready to get started. As mentioned in the Tips & Tricks post, it would be a good idea to print this page (and each of the upcoming posts) as a reference before you start.
This week we will just do a few preliminary steps to get started with the program:

Step 1 – Set up a new email account.
Set up a free webmail account. Each participant in Playtime 2.0 will need to use a free email account from a commercial service provider such as Yahoo Mail, MSN Hotmail or Google Gmail. You will use this account to register for the various web services required in this program. We recommend that you set up a new account specifically for this program, although you can use an existing account if you prefer. You will be creating several accounts on different websites during the program and will NOT want to use your library email account for the program.
Why is this important? Your free email account allows you to complete your explorations without introducing spam or viruses to the library network or to your personal email account.
HINT: When you create accounts with web services, be sure to write down the URL (web address), your login and password and the email you used to set up your account so that you can return and use the service at a later date, retrieve login information, and eventually, delete the account. You may want to keep a written list of passwords for the services you will use during the program.

Step 2 – Understand why you need a blog.
Next week, in Thing #1, you will be required to create a blog, but read this now to understand why you need a blog. Your blog will be the way you record your successful completion of the Things. There are several free blog sites out there, but we recommend using Blogger. (Playtime 2.0 is a Blogger blog). How you identify yourself on your blog is your choice. You can blog under your real name, or create a screen name. However, in order to receive recognition for completing the program you will need to register your blog name/URL and your real name with the Library 2.0 Team. You will submit this information in Thing #1.
IMPORTANT HINT: When you set up your blog account, write down your login and password and keep the information in a safe place. Also write down your blog address. Your blog address is the URL you will use to access your blog. For example, if you created your blog in Blogger then your blog address is http://whaticalledmyself.blogspot.com/.

Step 3 – Think PLAY!
Have you ever wondered why teenagers are so good at all this technology stuff? It’s because they spend so much time playing with it. Think about all the things you learned as a child through play; for the young - playing is learning. Unfortunately, as working adults we don’t have quite as much time to explore or experiment - or play - with things. That’s why this program encourages you to set aside a little time each day, or each week, to play with Web 2.0 tools.

Do you have any questions, so far? If so, contact us or leave a comment to this post.

Well, that's it for "Getting Started." Come back next Monday morning to learn more about Blogs in Thing #1.

The 10 Things

Playtime 2.0, the self-directed learning program for Roselle Public Library staff, includes 10 Things (or activities) that focus on Web 2.0 technologies.
Things will be posted to the Playtime 2.0 blog according to the following schedule:

- Getting Started - Jan. 12
- Thing #1: Blogs - Jan. 19
- Thing #2: RSS - Jan. 26
- Thing #3: Social Networking - Feb. 2
- Thing #4: Flickr & Photo Sharing - Feb. 9
- Thing #5: Podcasting & Video Sharing - Feb. 16
Catch-up week - Feb. 23-Mar. 1
- Thing #6: Instant Messaging - Mar. 2
- Thing #7: Wikis - Mar. 9
- Thing #8: Online Apps - Mar. 16
- Thing #9: Lifelong Learning - Mar. 23
- Thing #10: Roselle's Virtual Library - Mar. 30
- Summary - Apr. 6

The program will officially end on April 30, so staff members will have the month of April to catch up and complete all of the Things.
If you have questions about the Things, please leave a comment.