Looking back on the course, I think for me the highlights were working with the screenshots, telling a story, and making a Google map and creating a Netvibes website. I now am creating the map with a different program, called CommunityWalk, since they have the capacity to display more than one photo of a location. I was also stymied since I wanted to link to site descriptions in the Texas Historical commissions, and if I copied the URL in the address bar, it would only be read by the Google interface as the address for the Atlas itself, the search page for the descriptions. Our IT person told me I could use "copy image location" to fix that problem. I'm happy about the map and I also liked the digital story very much. I didn't like music behind images, but narration seems to be great way to tap into people's experiences and stories. I think it would be great if we had kiosks up at the front of the library and people could tap on them and hear someone talk about how the library enabled them in some part of their lives.
Creating the page on Netvibes helped me to get more experience with RSS feeds and creating widgets, and seeing how they worked on a day to day basis and whether they made sense for me. I am exploring webpage coding now and believe this will help my goal to have some proficiency and understanding in this area, since I am not involved in our library's website.
An unexpected outcome was learning about the sites which create a virtual resume for you...there certainly seemed to be some pros and cons with those...con in that you had to be careful about your online privacy, but pros in the ease of accessibility and being able to track your job hunting online.
I appreciated taking this program, and would like to participate in similar ones in the future.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Beyond Method #11: Survey Says
I have only taken surveys online, I have never created one online. I have often run into very reputable organizations asking for a patrons' survey, and started the survey only to wish I had never begun it. So many surveys are TOO LONG...and it's also tiring to realize that you don't fit their patron idea, and so a lot of the questions don't apply to you. I sometimes think that when the organization is offering a chance at a raffle prize (contingent on completing the survey) that they then feel free to go all out and make it as long and as detailed as they wish.
That said, I enjoyed reading about the current offerings for doing surveys and getting feedback. I like the idea of the popup just asking 2 questions, so that you don't have to write: take a survey please.....it's right there. It also makes sense to use it for planning an event for a group of people and getting the input as to what details work for everyone. I would like to use that in my personal life.
We don't use surveys as a rule here, except for paper ones given to attendees of actual events.
And I want to remember how some people fill them out....carelessly, just checking something to check it. Perhaps doing the survey online would mean less response, but then the responses might be more genuine. I'd like to survey our readers about our blogs, and get some input there. We get almost no feedback from our readers, and yet I think people are reading them.
I don't know if we will do surveys of this type in the future, but it's certainly a possibility. I'd like to query our patrons about what activities they would like - although I know that's not always a guarantee that people will come to the things they mentioned.
That said, I enjoyed reading about the current offerings for doing surveys and getting feedback. I like the idea of the popup just asking 2 questions, so that you don't have to write: take a survey please.....it's right there. It also makes sense to use it for planning an event for a group of people and getting the input as to what details work for everyone. I would like to use that in my personal life.
We don't use surveys as a rule here, except for paper ones given to attendees of actual events.
And I want to remember how some people fill them out....carelessly, just checking something to check it. Perhaps doing the survey online would mean less response, but then the responses might be more genuine. I'd like to survey our readers about our blogs, and get some input there. We get almost no feedback from our readers, and yet I think people are reading them.
I don't know if we will do surveys of this type in the future, but it's certainly a possibility. I'd like to query our patrons about what activities they would like - although I know that's not always a guarantee that people will come to the things they mentioned.
Beyond Method #10: Meet you online
I have used Skype with family, but not using a webcam. I have participated in a couple of webinars. I found them very useful, after I got used to the process. One of the webinars was excellent, mostly because the presentation was very thorough and covered a large area. Others were more informal and superficial, useful but perhaps a one on one would have been better. Our library has had a virtual meeting with an author and the group really enjoyed it. I'm sure we will do more of those. We have no private area for skype calls for family with enlisted members, but that sounds like a good idea. When I have interviewed for jobs in the past, I had telephone conferencing but nothing more sophisticated. I like the idea of skype for interviews also, although it might be harder for the interviewee to make a good impression....I notice the video makes you notice things like movements or eye blinking much more than if you were actually with the person. I suppose that professionals and seasoned users are aware of this and make sure they are relaxed and engage well with the viewers. I also noticed that on "Skype an author", I didn't recognize any authors' names. I suppose the more well-known authors have no real motivation to join and have an interaction free of charge, or perhaps it has been used primarily for schools.
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