My journey through Web 2.0 Adventure!!!

Six weeks!!! That was super fast. I am still feeling I didn't have enough of this adventure. There were easy time and difficult time. It was like riding a roller coaster through the journey.

This is my first time using Google Blogger. I used to blog on MSN Live Spaces. That was quite easy to use with some pre-set application. I didn't explore too much of my Live Space because my PC takes ages to apply/embed new application into the life space.

Google Blogger impressed me a lot. The page uploading is faster than my Live Space. Plus, it has more gadget options provided, even with another supplimentary site, the Blogger Buster. Blogger Buster allows me to find new templates and other gadget applications that I want to embed into my blog. It was contributed by most Blogger users.

Back to my rollercoaster story. The fun part that I like most was exploring You Tube and SlideShare. I was surprised to find out that YouTube and SlideShares are good resources for teaching information literacy. They can be used in creating informative library blogs, or library websites, or even information literacy tutorial class, but have to use under Creative Common License. Oh Yes!! Talking about Creative Common License, it is another big discovery for me. I went to explore its web site and try to understand different categories of license listed in there. It helps me to better understand the copyright issue in the open net environment.

The social bookmarking, mashup and wikipedia editing gave me a huge headache. It is easy to contribute and make changes in the Australian Newspapers collaboration site, but not so in the actual wikipedia site. I guess the actual wikipedia site is governed by strict rules and its too complicatate for me to do editing at this stage. But, from my other course, I have the opportunity to use PbWikis just 2 weeks after the wikipedia adventure, and I have done some editing in that PbWiki for our group assignment.

I was overwhelmed with the information I encountered in social bookmarking and mashup. Most of the time, I was thinking "The site seems interesting, do I really need this?" "Am I taking too much time to learn a new application and manage it?" For example: I have installed the Diigo tool bar in my PC, I never have the time to learn, dig into it, explore all its applications and use them.

Mashup is terribly difficult, and seriously I haven't fully understood the principal behind it. I think if I know API, I can understand that better. But point is, I don't know API.

In conclusion, after 6 weeks, I should say my adventure through web 2.0 was a success. I have learned many new applications, and pushed my embedding skills to higher level. I wish to learn how to embed podcasting application, and embedding movies, but I think that probably be too difficult to manage within one week. I heard of this Adobe Captivate, it can capture the screen shots and used as a tool to design and develop web-based tutorial classes for students. But it is very expensive. I wonder, is there any similar version of this exists in the web and hosted by some web developers? I guess to upload podcast and vimeo will be my next target of learning in web 2.0.

Is this an end? No!! This is just the beginning of my journey into this big Machine (internet). And I really appreciate Doc Man in creating this starting point for me.

Stay tuned!! I won't stop blogging on my discovery on web 2.0 and perhaps web 3.0 or even semantic web.

Google Map with my own photo

Yo!! Done it..

I tried to embedded my own photo into Google Maps. I haven't done this before. I have tried to put markers on Google Maps on my previous post. This is what I have done:

1. Search for information on how to insert photos into MyMaps of Google Maps. I found this really helpful Google help site.

2. In the help site, it says I can add photos but those photos must be hosted on line. So, I went to my Picasa Web account and upload 2 photos which I took in Feb 2010 when I attended the Rare Books Seminar at the State Library of Victoria.

3. I then created a new Google Map and put my marker on State Library of Victoria.

4. The help site says 'click edit' and use 'Rich Text' or 'html'... I was like??!!! Where is my edit? And even when I found my 'edit' button and clicked into it, there was no 'Rich Text' or 'html' editing. Took me 1 hour to figure out, I need to install the beta version of Google Map tool bar!!! Furious!!!!!

5. Now I have my beta version of Google Map tool bar. I clicked on the marker that I have already placed on State Library of Victoria. A dialog box shows up and it allows me to add title, add description, add Rich Text, add Html; I even can edit the place details with place name, address, phone number, photos, categories and etc. (WOW!!) I have select to use the Rich Text.

6. Click the 'Rich Text' button, and another row of sub-tool bar appear.

7. Click the last icon, which is 'adding image' on the sub-tool bar. A script prompt appears asking me to enter the URL of my image.

8. Now I have to find my photo URL. I went back to my Picasa Web, and found my photo that I wish to insert into Google Maps. Right click on that photo, find the 'property' of that photo, inside there, I got my photo's URL.

9. Copy and paste that photo's URL into that script prompts dialog box in step 7.

10. Hit 'ok' button.

11. Click the 'saved' button on My Maps and done!!!!

Please see the following map for that photo of State Library of Victoria, taken by 'ME'!!!


View My city, my love in a larger map

I feel so satisfy when I have done this. Now I can go and shoot as many photos as I want on different libraries and interesting sites of Melbourne and 'enriched' My city, my love.

Try it out!!! It is fun!!!!

Something about Mashup

Mashup is difficult!!! Because I don't know how API works..
But I have found one interesting slideshare about it..
I will embed it here.. very informative.. And I wish I have more time to dig into every sites recommended here.

Sticking between: mashup in libraries

View more presentations from bonaria.

This slideshare is prepared by Bonaria, used here under Creative Common License.