Thing Thirteen: Online Productivity Tools

I've had a customized iGoogle homepage for a while now. It's got some kind of groovy artwork by John Maeda (?) that changes throughout the day. I rather like it, but maybe it's time for a change. Aside from the art, I've got my RSS feeds, BBC headlines, "Top News" headlines, weather, email notification, quote of the day and time and date. It appeals because it's not too fussy, yet there's a bit of an aesthetic. I like having the email and rss feeds right in front of me so that I can immediately access anything new.

I think if I did more group projects these varied tools would come in handy. It would be great for anyone to be able to access group lists, notes and agendas. I think the whole Backpack tool would be really cool, if everyone in the group felt comfortable using it. I think I would like to talk to someone who actually uses it frequently to see if it really does encourage productivity, or if it becomes another time waster. I foresee my once/month plan for a night out with my best friends becoming a whole heckuva lot more slick looking. We'll see.

I scoffed at the idea of using any more tools than I already do, the reason being that I spend more time on the computer than I should anyway. But then I was reading someone elses blog, and he/she said that they used Ta-da Lists to help remember books to request. YES. I have a long hand-written list of books that I want to read and I sometimes have it with me, but having it online would enable me to access the list at the library. So, I guess what I said before: you don't have to invent uses. Use tools when you need them. Just know that they are there.

I do think that it's valid to think of participation: many of these tools are most useful if multiple people participate. If they do not, the pages founder and become irrelevent. Like our reference wiki; it seems that people have found other ways to get their questions answered, convey information and form a community. There are just so many outlets...

Thing One

I am such a great fan of blogs. I thirst for postings and follow some voraciously, yet I've always been so timid about trying new things on the internet for a number of reasons:

1. I've found that the more you know about using computers, the more you don't know.
2. I could spend the better part of a day figuring all this stuff out and getting it exactly the way I want it. And that's too much time. Especially when my three-year-old is wondering why he has to wait for my attentions.
3. Security. I don't trust the government. I don't necessarily trust my fellow man. I wonder just how much of an online presence I am comfortable with. On the one hand I love the online community and the personalities that I have seen there, but on the other I don't like the thought of being watched or tracked or any of that. I mean, it's easy enough to monitor people without being given a carte blanche into their lives as it sometimes seems personal blogs provide.

But, I really want to learn to use these things for myself, my friends, my kid, my patrons, and the only real way to do that is to do it online.

So here goes.