by Stina McClintock
While watching the American Event of the Century (aka Kim Kardashian’s wedding on E!) over the weekend, I saw an ad for MyLife.com and decided to do some investigating. After about an hour of exploring the landscape of MyLife.com, I was reminded just how powerful the Internet is in tracking down individuals. And maybe this isn’t always a good thing.
One of the questions that people ask in the Skiptracing class that we teach here in the library is, “How can I make it so people can’t find me?” With hundreds of people search databases, removing your name and personal data from the Internet is a tedious task. Thankfully, there are companies out there that can help. One company named Reputation Defender (RD) has been doing the business that many frustrated people are trying to accomplish: remove personal information from the Internet with automated process and continuously monitor personal information on a daily basis. Continue reading 'I Always Feel Like Somebody’s Watching Me'»
by Stina McClintock
Hey everyone, have you heard the news? There is a new social networking site out there for you to use! At the end of last month Google+ was launched to compete against Facebook (and further render Myspace obsolete). This represents the latest Google attempt to get in the social networking game. And after only a few short weeks the site has reached 18 million users.
So why should I abandon my Friendster account for The Google+ Project? One of the more enticing features of Google+ is that it offers Circles. Essentially, users can place friends, acquaintances, family, and colleagues in Circles, and then choose status updates, contact information and images that only this particular group can see. So, if you wanted to discuss library matters strictly with colleagues, you can create a Circle to address them, this also allows for conversations to quickly be conducted in a group setting. Users can also follow others via a “Following” Circle, which mirrors Twitter.
Continue reading 'Didn’t Dante Have Something to Say About Circles?'»
by Kristine Lloyd
Tweeting is for responsible adults. For that matter, computing in general should be for responsible adults. I salute the person who recommended a Breathalyzer test to boot up your home computer. Might have saved me from purchasing a vintage ostrich feather jacket on eBay one evening, in purple no less. Let me know if you’re in the market for one.
So, back to tweeting. If you’re the person responsible for tweeting on behalf of your company, make sure you don’t get your personal account mixed with the company account, otherwise, the world will think your company endorses working while “slizzered.” Check out this fun blog post from Convince & Convert for more tweeting faux pas and remember: tweet responsibly.
by Karen Helde
This blog post made me think about the way we talk to each other. Many of us who have been around a while think of the LLOPS email list as our primary form of group communication. It’s quick to create a message (if I’m at work, it’s a given that email is open on my desktop), and we can expect our intended audience to receive it almost immediately. Responses are similarly easy to create and can be sent to the list or to the individual as appropriate. Apart from sign-up and postpone procedures which seem stuck in the technological dark ages, what are the the downsides of email lists? First, some lists and list archives are public and a query or announcement may require a little more discretion. Second, we’re all deluged with email, and it’s easy for one message to get lost in the shuffle. Third, list archives are generally not too user-friendly; we’re mostly dependent on our own personal email filing systems for storing information we want to keep.
Continue reading 'Talk Talk'»
by Sue Mecklem
I love blogs! I like the simplicity of short entries and the ability to receive information on a variety of subjects without committing to reading long articles, and adding to my information inundation. I use an RSS reader to subscribe to my favorite 25 blogs and can quickly decide what looks relevant or interesting. I’m sharing three law librarian blogs I find really useful, and three blogs for fun. I’d love to hear what your favorites are!
Blogs for Work:
The ZRG Blog
I’ve used Zimmerman’s Research Guide at least a few times a month since I started working as a law librarian, so I was pleased to see that Andrew Zimmerman has started a blog where he discusses updates to the ZRG and provides interesting links to websites. In a recent blog post, he provided a link to the Atlas of County Boundaries, which explains the history of changes to counties in the US in every state. Continue reading 'Blogs for Work and Fun'»
by Keith Pitts
Like this very tasty Reese’s peanut butter cup, there’s no wrong way to get your groove on with social media. Social media is achieving a unique visibility, and with that visibility, a greater influence. We can all take cues from how firms, companies, and news conglomerates are using these channels to build their networks and disseminate their influence and information. But what is it, really? And should we jump on the blogwagon, the Tweetwagon, and the Facebookwagon?
Continue reading 'There's No Wrong Way to Eat a Message'»
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