The Unquiet Librarian

I am not sure how I missed this ( I don’t remember an official announcement?), but you can now follow School Library Journal on Twitter!  Yeah!

http://twitter.com/sljournal

Twitter / sljournal via kwout

Test, test! 

I am not sure how long this has been available, but I just noticed today that SlideShare now features a post to Twitter feature!  How cool!  This is a wonderful feature for Twitter addicts like me! 

How To Embed A Poll Daddy Poll Into Your via kwout

I just read at Fox News this morning that Texas Rep.  John Culberson has been using Twitter to post updates and as a means of communicatoin with his constituents.  However, some members of Congress feel that “Twittering” violates house rules regarding communications outside of “official” websites.

However, Culberson has several counterarguments.  In the article, Culberson states:

By communicating on Twitter, Culberson said he can tell his constituents to watch a live video he’s about to broadcast on a site called Qik.com. By blasting an announcement that he’s going to hold a town hall meeting, Culberson said anyone with a mobile e-mail device, an Internet connection or a phone can tap into the discussion. Or if a vote on a confusing or quickly-moving bill is coming up he can shoot out marching orders as needed to his supporters.

“It’s a great way to instantaneously communicate with a large number of people,” Culberson said. 

We have already seen something similar to this happen in some school districts.    District leaders want official school content to stay on official school websites so that content will appear professional; I am also surmising that there may also be legal/liability issues behind those policies as well.  However, sometimes these policies inhibit educators from harnessing the power of these web 2.0 tools.

What do you think about this?  Should Culberson be allowed to Twitter from Capitol Hill?  Personally, I think it is great that an elected leader is trying to find other means to dialogue with his voters and to alert them to his official activities.  However, I’d love to hear your ideas!  What do you think?

All a Twitter: Want to Try Microblogging? – 7/1/2008 – School Library Journal

Back in March, I blogged about the joys and benefits of Twitter, an instrumental element of my personal learning network.  If you haven’t tried it, then check out this fabulous article about Twitter from Ellyssa Kroski over at School Library Journal.  This article provides an accessible yet thorough introduction and overview for Twitter newbies and veterans alike!

I am always happy to Tweet with fellow librarians and educators!   

Twitter / buffyjhamilton

I stumbled across another fun Twitter tool this evening called PowerTwitter.  If you are using Twitter in Firefox, this add-on allows you and others to see your Flickr photo stream embedded in your profile and a link to your 30 Boxes account.    You will need to set up an account with 30 Boxes for PowerTwitter to work.

Here are the basic steps to install this fun tool:

1.  Go to http://30boxes.com/blog/index.php/2007/04/09/power-twitter-by-30-boxes/. 
2.  Right click on the link for the add-on and save it to your desktop.
3.  Literally drag the installation icon you have downloaded into the middle of your Firefox browser.  Firefox will automatically install it for you.
4.  Restart your Firefox browser.
5.  Once you go to your Twitter account, click on your profile, and your Flickr photostream will pop up!

Do you ever wonder how much you are Twittering?  Would you like to know the times of day you are most likely to Twitter?  Has it occurred to you that you might need to enter a 12 step recovery program for Twittering?  (LOL! ). 

Here is a fun little tool called TweetStats!  It will calculate the following stats:

• Your Tweet Timeline
• Your aggregate daily Tweets
• Your aggregate hourly Tweets
• Direct replies (percentage to whom you give direct replies)
• Percentage of Tweets per Twittering application

You can view my Tweet stats at http://tweetstats.com/graphs/buffyjhamilton. 

This is a test post to test Twitterfeed.

Last summer, I registered for a Twitter account, but drifted away it from it quickly as I thought it was more of a “fun” social networking tool that did not have any real meaningful application.

Was I WRONG!

I reconnected with Twitter last week thanks to my friend Stephen Rahn at the Kennesaw State Ed Tech Center.  In the last week, here is what I have found and/or accomplished thanks to my connections on Twitter:

• I discovered an amazing library blog, http://libpower.blogspot.com/, and connected with a new colleague, Phil Goerner!  Through Phil, I now have great ideas for a “Grab-n-Go” event for our faculty!  Thank you, Phil!
• I am following the Tweets of great leaders in my field like Doug Johnson, Joyce Valenza, “Cool Cat” teacher Vicki Davis, and Will Richardson!  Doug Johnson is now one of my “followers”!  It is something akin to rubbing elbows with Hollywood stars at an Oscar party! 
• Discovered and have been listening to some amazing educational podcasts at http://edtechtalk.com/live, an amazing resource!  I haven’t had a chance yet to listen to a live broadcast although I hope to catch one today at 10:00 A.M.
• Discovered the YALSA Blog (which is TERRIFIC!) through a Tweet from YALSA on Twitter!
• Found and installed Twhirl, a Twitter client.
• Found ChitChatEd through Vicki Davis, “Cool Cat Teacher.”
• Found an excellent blog of an Instructional Technology Specialist, http://kenrodoff.blogspot.com/; Ken Rodoff is the ITS at Joyce Valenza’s school.
• Discovered Ted Talks through a link to a post from Will Richardson on Twitter.  Find out more about TedTalks at http://www.ted.com/index.php/pages/view/id/5 ; this is a COOL resource!  Here is the RSS feed for TedTalks:  http://feeds.feedburner.com/tedtalks_video.
• Found this blog, http://plethoratech.blogspot.com/,  through a Tweet from becksintex.
• Found this interesting article from a Tweet from becksintex, http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2008/03/is_web_20_an_en.html.

As you can see, Twitter can be a great resource for networking with other people and sharing resources in real time.   You can Twitter me at http://twitter.com/buffyjhamilton!  Come join in this fun way of learning and networking with others!

In addition, here are some ideas for using Twitter in your library:  http://del.icio.us/theunquietlibrary/twitterlibraryapplications