I love Facebook! CPL 2.0

Facebook is my lifeline. It connects me to people who are far away. It is fabulous for sharing photos and the minutae of everyday life. And yes, it can be a waste of time too! You can get lost snooping in on other people's lives. I find that a lot of thought has gone into FB's software design, allowing countless easy opportunities to connect with people. In some ways this can be annoying, being prompted to send someone a message or suggest friends for them. I am using Facebook to connect with folk dance groups in New York City for my upcoming visit, so that I receive updates about when they meet and what is on their itinerary. It is cool that CPL has a Facebook page. I joined it, of course!

I received a Facebook message over the weekend from someone I went to elementary school with, a shy boy who I wasn't really friends with. He was quite emotional about finding me on FB, saying he had suffered terribly from bullying and I was one person he remembers as always being nice to him. He said he had had a big crush on me for many years. I had never known this and was really touched to hear this.

Laura

Delicious! CPL 2.0

I really never used Delicious and even stopped using Best Web Sites once they were placed on Delicious. Now, having spent some time creating an account and bookmarking websites, I feel more comfortable using it. Still figuring out some of the networking possibilities, but I really like the portability factor, that you can check your favourite websites from any computer hooked up to the Internet. I will continue to explore this tool and am always interested in learning about the hot sites out there that everybody else seems to know about! One disadvantage to Delicious is that checking it is another step, another task, when Google is so easy and familiar. I am rarely in a situation when I need to check a website I cannot find.

I read other blogger's posts and there are mixed reviews of Delicious. I understand those who find it initially confusing and am not yet at a point where I can say it will improve my productivity in any way.

CPL 2.0 Wikipedia

Just spent some time searching Wikipedia. Looked up New York, of course, and food in New York, of course. Results are very inconsistent. Under Street Food, there is a very specific entry describing a food cart that is famously referred to as The Halal Cart, giving its location, hours and menu. Other street foods are clickable but take you to a generic description, say of Italian ices, offering no details of where to find this product on the streets of New York. One very useful segment of New York Street Food is a list of neighbourhoods in New York and which ethnic foods are featured there. I will print that off and study it closely!

I find Wikipedia really feels user-driven, lacking an authoritative, reliable feel. Having said that, though, there was nothing in my searches that needed grammatical or factual correction. I searched Carol Shields, Michael Jackson, Blogs, Cookies, Kosher symbols, and Scottsdale, Arizona. I do not usually recommend Wikipedia to custmers at the reference desk because of the spotty nature of the content. However, sometimes it is the quickest and easiest way to answer a question. So, I have a love-hate kind of relationship with Wikipedia. I keep it in mind when I am at a loss with customers, as a last resort, but always qualify my use of it by saying "anyone can publish on Wikepedia and it is therefore not considered authoritative or reliable".

NYC Here I Come

Coming to NYC in September and the theme will be walk. eat. repeat. Plus museums, shows, shops, markets, neighbourhoods, taking photos and being with my honey. I am doing my homework in anticipation, reading the foodie boards on Chowhound, checking the travel guides. Just bought Zagat's restaurant reviews for 2010 and will read that cover to cover.

This blog will be a journal of my journey, the hot spots I find along the way. Stay posted.