Quick Update on the Big Move

After a 2500+ mile drive, I've successfully made it from Southern Illinois to Western Washington. Traveled through Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Washington. Took way too many photos, which should be on Facebook soon. You would think I would learn my lesson to not take an abundance of photos because going through them, though fun, is also rather time consuming. However, I have not, and there are hundreds upon hundreds of photos.

I'm way, way, way behind, which I probably don't have to mention because it's completely obvious. Not only do I have to post, but I haven't had the chance to follow any blogs for a few weeks. Time to catch up!

Happy Blogging!

PS - The Yellowstone bison say hello!

Thing 7: Face-to-Face Networks and Professional Organizations

Well, I don't belong to any organizations, so I can't add much regarding the subject. I've had the opportunity to attend several conferences that were put on by different organizations that I don't belong to, but that's as far as my involvement in organizations goes.

My lack of involvement is entirely my own. When I first began working in libraries, I had no idea about different organizations, and, honestly, I didn't really care. Once I started to have more interest in continuing working in libraries, I became aware of the organizations, but I felt they were more of a librarian thing. Since I wasn't a librarian, I just figured they weren't for me. Later, though still not a librarian, I decided to research some of the organizations. From some people, I still felt that my involvement might be somewhat frowned upon. However, I didn't really let it discourage me because I do have an interest in joining, librarian or not. Since there have been certain changes in my personal library land--CPD23 and changes at work, I no longer feel that way. I feel that the library world is much more welcoming than some people may have led me to believe, which is a very nice feeling. Side note: I can also be rather paranoid and tend to overthink things, which is highly possible. Regardless, feeling welcomed in a community I thoroughly enjoy being a part of is quite lovely.

Mostly, I've researched ALA, and I do have a strong interest in joining. The only thing stopping me now is not knowing what position I'll be in next month. And by that I mean, not knowing if I'll have a library job or not next month. Even if I don't have a job, there are still options, and I'm still interested in joining. I would like to keep myself in the library world in as many ways as I possibly can whether it be through volunteering, joining the Friends, and being a member of ALA. In my dream of dreams, of course, I hope to get a library job. Currently applying, and will continue to apply as jobs are posted. There is also potential to join a state organization, which I'll look into after my move.

For the informal organizations, I looked into Library Society of the World, which looks pretty neat and a lot of fun. I always enjoy some humor with my work.

Thing 6: Online Networks

LinkedIn
I don't have a LinkedIn account, but I'm working on setting up my account right now. It's very easy to sign up. However, since it is a professional site and will only be used for professional purposes, I want to make sure I have everything ready for when I do sign up for my account. I don't want to start it and have things half done. Thankfully, there were examples to show me what I should be prepared for when I create my account. Also, our library recently acquired some helpful LinkedIn books, which I've been browsing for tips. I do have to say that although looking at the accounts was helpful, I also kind of felt like a schlub. Some of the lists of organizations and awards made me feel like an underachiever because I doubt mine will be nearly as impressive. I just have to remember that I've worked in libraries for 11 years in varying positions, so I definitely have the professional experience to put on my account.


Facebook
In my Thing 3 post, I talked about Facebook quite a bit. Mostly, I mentioned that I keep it private. That is true, but, after thinking about it further, I do use it for professional purposes as well. I'm friends with a lot of my past and present co-workers. I also like a lot libraries, library organizations, and various other (mostly silly) pages related to libraries. Additionally, I contribute to my library's Facebook page. I'll go in and update the library's page through the library's account, but I'll also respond to people commenting on the library's page from my personal account. Doing that doesn't necessarily mean I'll friend anyone who friends me, though. Of course, I friend people, but I'm also a little leery of friending everyone that friends me.


Google+
I've read a lot about Google+, but I haven't started an account yet. After some debating and finally deciding to do it (maybe a day), I tried to log in with my Google account, and I received this kind little message, "Google+ is in limited Field Trial--Right now, we're testing with a small number of people, but it won't be long before the Google+ project is ready for everyone. Leave us your email address and we'll make sure you're the first to know when we're ready to invite more people." So, I left my e-mail, and I'm waiting to hear back. However, considering they have 10 million people signed up already, their idea of a "limited" field trial made me laugh. Yeah, there are hundreds of millions of people on Facebook and Twitter, but that took years to reach. Also, when they reached 10 million, they were way past the field trial stage. I'm torn because I find the limiting somewhat frustrating when you have such a massive amount of people already involved. However, I'm kind of happy I'm not working the kinks out for them. Especially when I read articles like this: 5 Reasons Google+ is a Privacy Accident (Disaster?) Waiting to Happen. While not having a Google+ account to actually play around with, I'll read about others' experiences and how-to's, so I'll know what to do when I get my chance.


Pinterest
My silly social network that isn't professional at all. It's sort of library related. One of my shelvers told me about it and invited me to join. I just joined this week, but I'm already having fun with it! It allows me to collect even more recipes I won't make, crafts I won't create, home ideas I won't do, and places I want to travel to that I hope I eventually get to. Looking at these things and having the potential of doing these things is just as fulfilling as actually doing them sometimes. It makes the possibilities endless. Since it's all fun, there's no pressure. For someone who is a hobby-aholic, this is a pretty awesome place to be. Not into hobbies, you can also collect books, movies, fashion, celebrities--there really seems to be no end to the boards you can create. You can repin items people have pinned or you can add a new pin (link to website/photo). If you're interested, here's my account: sandrakb. Again, just started, so my boards are pretty bare, but I'm sure I'll fill them up quickly. And yes, I have an entire board dedicated to pumpkins because I'm also a pumpkin-aholic.

Thing 5: Reflective Practice

As far as work is concerned, I've never done much reflective practice. At least, none that I've ever taken the time to write about. I keep a personal journal on general life reflections, which I do find helpful, so I see that reflecting on work or projects specifically might be beneficial as well.

I perused the model choices in the Thing 5 post as well as those in other blogs and presentations, but I ended up going with the "Recall It, Evaluate It, Apply It" model outlined within the post. In regards to CPD23, the questions in the Evaluate It section allowed me to have more focus in my reflection. Whereas, with some of the other models, I kept thinking of a lot of things at once. I can see Greenaway's "Plan, Do, Review" working well for me in the future as well.

Evaluate It:
What did I learn?
I've learned a lot! And I've also learned, or feel, that I'm way behind in some respects. Well, obviously, in updating my blog, but we'll get to that later. However, I'm reading from so many other people how involved they already are in what we've been learning, and I feel way behind. "Better late than never" applies to me here. Yet, with technology, I really need to remember that "better late than never" can mean completely out of the loop.

What did you enjoy?
So far, pretty much everything. Blogging has been fun (even if I'm not doing it as regularly as I should). I love learning, and this has given me the opportunity to learn a lot that I, sadly, haven't taken the time to do on my own. Though I mentioned above that I feel way behind, I'm glad that this has kind of thrust me into this technology world that I was somewhat familiar with but not entirely comfortable with. Mainly, I knew about a lot of these programs, but I never took the time to use them. Lastly, I've always loved working in libraries, and this has solidly confirmed that I'm in the right place. It's an amazing feeling appreciating what I do everyday, and I'm grateful that this program has given me a stronger awareness of that.

What worked well?
RSS Feeds = love, love, love. Setting up the blog was easy. Though I don't update as often as I should, I do work on or think about CPD23 everyday. I'm totally aware of where we currently are in the program. I have ideas floating around in my head about future blog posts. Of course, if I blogged regularly, I could get those ideas out and not have five Things floating around in my head at once.

What, if anything, went wrong?
Given that I've mentioned this in the previous three questions, it's probably no surprise that blogging is my first response to this question. And, yes, I said first because there are multiple wrongdoings on my part. My reason: I've got a lot going on. Lame excuse, yes, but that's what I got. With work, preparing for a move, spending time with family because I'm moving, finding a new job, and CPD23, life kind of got a little crazy. Thankfully, I do have the option of posting late because this is, basically, extracurricular for me. Though, in my mind, I'm pretty hard on myself about missing a deadline because it looks completely unprofessional. So, I'm playing catch up right now, and I'm confident that I'm going to catch up. I'm not going to give a deadline on when I'll catch up, but I'm still going to remain confident. I thought about giving a deadline, but I'd have more guilt about falling behind.

Not commenting. I'm horrible about commenting. Not that the very few comments I write are horrible, but I just don't do it. I read a good amount of blogs, but no one would know because I don't make my presence known.

Twitter and I went wrong, and it was all my fault. Way too much overthinking. About my name, my photo, my bio. Okay, about every flippin' detail. However, I did it. Finally did it, I should say. I don't have much going on right now, but it's up. @BookishSandra

So, basically, what went wrong? Me not doing things. It's that simple.

What would you change?
With all the craziness, I wouldn't change much as far as the program is concerned. As far as I go, I'd blog more consistently. Not only should I be blogging in a more timely manner, especially in regards to the program and the Things we are covering, but I also have an idea about a blog post unrelated to the program and don't do anything about it. Oh, I could also stop overthinking. I don't see that happening anytime soon, though...

What (potential) impact could this have in your workplace?
So far, not much. We haven't covered anything that I can really see being applied to my workplace. However, with Google Reader, I catch up on my library blogs much faster, which give me ideas for my workplace.

Apply It:
What can you practically apply from the experience you've had?
Easy answer! Become more involved. By being in cpd23, I've taken one step of becoming more involved. However, I need to comment more and post regularly, obviously. I've also set a personal goal for myself to try to tweet at least once a day. Now that I've set up a Twitter account, I actually want to use it. Well, use it for more than just following people and reading their tweets, which I'm already guilty of and could continue doing.

Thing 4: Current Awareness - Twitter, RSS Feeds, Pushnote

Twitter
I do not have a Twitter account. It's something I've thought about a lot, but I've never done. I always ask myself what am I going to add or write or post or do, and I always end up thinking nothing. However, I'm totally a Twitter lurker. And, I acknowledge, that's completely unfair. I'm taking all of this information from everyone, but I'm not giving anything back in return. This week has made me face my lurking self, and I'm grateful for that.

Thankfully, others posted some helpful info in their blogs about using Twitter. Woodsiegirl's Current Awareness, Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the "Mark All As Read" Button had some tips about following. Confessions of a Library Addict shared a link to Phil Bradley's Using Twitter in Libraries, which had a lot of positive reasons to use Twitter. Thewikiman had perfect timing for me by posting 3 essential things to do AS SOON AS YOU JOIN twitter... during Thing 4 week. Once I become a little more familiar with it, I can use some of the tips from The Plugged-In Librarian. Overall, the many blogs I read mentioned how positive an experience Twitter is, and quite a few mentioned they entered into Twitter unsure of if they would use it frequently or how they would use it at all.

From everything I've read and my lurking guilt, I know now that I have to set up a Twitter account. Some might be curious as to why I haven't because it's rather simpler. Well, one huge problem for waiting forever to set up my Twitter account is that so many others have, and I'm having difficulty with my name. A lot of them are already taken. Plus, since we had our personal brand talk and the importance of naming things, specifically one's Twitter account, I'm trying to use my name or variations of my name. Unfortunately, so have other people. I could always add numbers, but I'm not a big fan of having numbers in my username. Kind of picky, but, ultimately, I want a username I like as well as one that easily represents me.

RSS Feeds
I've often heard mentionings of RSS Feeds, but my lazy self never took the time to actually use them. Man, am I an idiot because they're awesome. Having a Google account, I could have been using Reader for awhile now. Again, idiot (or, more accurately, lazy idiot). Before, I just relied on my bookmarks bar or memory, but Reader is so much easier and much more convenient. I also love the Mark All as Read button. For sites that post a lot a day, I usually have to file through a bunch of posts to get to one I want. Now, I can check the title, click it if I want to read it, and Mark it if I don't. Much nicer. Obviously, my experience has been very positive. It also makes me aware of the fact that when I see something I'm curious about, I should check it out. Not wait and wonder or ignore it completely (or wait until I'm involved in 23 Things...).

Pushnote
I looked into Pushnote, but, so far, it isn't really for me. Given that I don't really leave comments or like rating things much and that's pretty much the premise, it's probably not something I would use. Though others didn't have the same reason as I did, I realized other CPD23ers weren't as enthusiastic about using it either. I think I'm going to take the wait and see stance several people have mentioned. I feel a little strange making that decision because I realize with both Twitter and RSS Feeds I took way too long to get involved in something that is good for me. And I feel like now I'm not being open to something yet again. However, I also have to acknowledge that just because it is out there, I don't have to use it. Right now, I'm not really into using it, but I'll continue to look into it.

Thing 3: Consider Your Personal Brand

Okay, I've been stalling with this post. I admit it. And, to be completely honest, I knew that would be the case from the first time I saw this on the list of 23 Things. However, now that we're on Thing 4, I should probably blog my thoughts on Thing 3. Here goes!

I have no idea how I feel about personal brands. Do I have a personal brand? I'm not sure. Given that I've just started my blog and my online presence is fairly minimal or guarded as of yet, much of the discussion didn't necessarily apply to where I'm at now. Having said that, a lot of what I read this week (or last week) was very helpful and gave me a lot to consider of where I would like to be in the future. So, could I have personal brand in the future? There's potential for it. I have mixed feelings. Part of me feels that it would simplify things. I would have one easily recognizable image for people. However, the other part of me feels boxed in by having a brand and limited in what I can present to people.


The recommended reading was extremely interesting and helpful. Dave Fleet's How to Ruin (Or Build) Your Personal Brand made me feel good about some of the qualities I already have, but it also gave me great ideas of how I can better both my brand and myself. It was handy to have a list of items to ponder, and he laid them out very well. LibWig's What's In A Name? made me reflect a lot on my blog name as well as any future names I may use. Though I'm happy to know that I can change my name in different platforms, she also made a good argument for trying to get your name right from the beginning. Honestly, I don't know if I've done that here. I'm happy with my name now, but I've given a lot more thought to how I'll feel about it in the future because it may not fit in the future. However, if I do decide to change anything in the future, I'll definitely revisit her post for tips on how to make the transition.

Though I enjoyed reading the information about the look of a blog, I don't really know if that is a concern to me. Obviously, I want it to look nice, but I don't know if I'm going to maintain one look all the time. With my previous blog, I changed it all the time. I treated it much like my virtual Barbie. With my Barbies, I never really gave them stories or characters, but, really, I just wanted to change their outfits. Here, I'll probably do a combination--story and character with some outfit changes.

Having revealed that slice of myself, I do like the term "profersonal" and plan to take that approach with my blog. In other online areas, it is very much personal. By that I mean, my Facebook profile is very guarded, and it's going to stay that way. I'm saying this like you'll have a raucous time at my Facebook profile. In reality, my profile is quite tame, so I don't have much to worry about. My parents are my Facebook friends, which kind of limits the insanity. Though I do understand that people use it in a professional way, I started my profile for personal purposes and continue to use it that way. Knowing that I feel this way about it, I've taken the proper steps to maintain it as a personal profile. Danah Boyd's Controlling Your Public Appearance was a good reminder to double check my Facebook settings. All is right with my Facebook world.

Adding to that, my Facebook profile did not come up when I Googled myself because I do not want it to. In fact, I didn't find myself until I searched my name with a city I lived in. What I found wasn't very spectacular. And, actually, it was pretty convenient from a professional stand point. In each case, I found myself listed in my current and previous employment. Nothing fancy, just stating that I worked there. But, still, I'm not making it up, I did work at those places, and there is online proof (that I didn't know about in some cases, but, as long as it's not negative, I'll take it). My previous online adventures do not exist. As I've mentioned, I did have a blog before, but I made sure to delete it. My college and early post-college ramblings do not need to be shared with the world any longer (and probably didn't need to be shared at the time). I also had a MySpace page, but, once I stopped using it, I made sure to deactivate it. I didn't want any previous online undertakings to come back and haunt me, and I've taken great care to make sure that doesn't happen. I'm all for having an online presence, but I want to have some sort of ability to maintain it as well. And I enter into any online venture with that mindset.

Heading into Thing 3, the idea of a personal brand was pretty daunting. I kept asking myself what the heck am I gonna come up with?! Obviously, I was putting way too much unnecessary pressure on myself. The idea is to consider not create a personal brand, and I've definitely considered it and will continue to do so in the future. I don't know what my brand is or will be or if I'll have one at all, but I feel much more aware of the concept and comfortable with the idea of one now that this week is over (or, more accurately, weeks are over).

Happy Blogging!

Pottermore

Being a Potter fan (okay, fanatic--I have the cloak pictures to prove it), I was more than excited about the Pottermore mystery. Once it was finally revealed, I was intrigued by the idea, but, mostly, I came away with mixed feelings. Although I'm overjoyed at the prospect of finding out more details about the Harry Potter universe, I really don't know how I'm going to feel about the gaming aspect of it, and I won't truly know until they reveal more details. Though I have my reservations, I, of course, submitted my e-mail on the Pottermore website. (Again, fanatic.)

Right now, what I'm most thrilled about is the video below. Not so much for the Pottermore news, but for the amazing book art animation. For those who haven't seen it, I highly recommend you watch--Potter fan or not.