Reflections on WordPress

This site was my introduction to content management systems, and on the whole, my experience with WordPress was a positive one. Dr. Oguz set up each team's initial website/blog, and each team member was then required to create a user account and log into their team's site. I was intimidated at first, but once I logged in, I had no problems navigating the site.

As stated, the first thing I did was create my user account. This was exceedingly simple, as it did not require any personal information beyond my email address. Once I received my password, I logged into my account (and changed my password). Upon visiting my team's site, I found that my two teammates had already been experimenting with themes, pages, posts, widgets, and plug-ins. I read through what they had posted, and then created a test-post of my own. I had no problems doing this.

I then created a profile page for myself. I initially created a very brief 2-3 line paragraph for myself, but I edited this later to include a picture and more extensive information about myself. I also removed my last name from the site, for privacy reasons.

After creating my profile page, I began to experiment with other administration options. I added a calendar to the sidebar, as well as a drop-down menu that allows readers to sort blog postings by category. However, I realized once I had added this that we only had one category of postings so far, so I created categories for each team-member's name, and added my name to my postings. I posted a notification of this to my team-members, and later saw in the most recent posts that they had added their names to their posts. I changed the time stamp on our blog posts, and experimented with themes/appearance settings, as well as adding things to the sidebar (and removing them). I also deactivated registration of new users for our site, as all group members had registered by this time.

As stated, all in all, I feel that the experience was a positive one. I am now far less intimidated by navigating the administrative functions of content management systems. WordPress is very intuitive in that regard. However, I do feel that I am lacking in creating the foundation of a WordPress site. I read through the "Getting Started with WordPress" page, and from what I understood, a user must either create a web server to host their WordPress site (which is way beyond my level of expertise), or register with an external web server (one that supports PHP and MySQL) and use it to support your WordPress site. After doing a little research, I found that there are several free web servers that can be used for this purpose, as well as servers that offer free domain names but charge a nominal monthly fee for web hosting, so this is an option.

As stated in my previous post, I am curious if WordPress is the CMS used by previous MLIS students to host their digital portfolios. It seems to me that this would be a good site for that purpose. I wonder if this is something that we will learn in this course, or in a different course (perhaps Information Architecture?).

In conclusion, this assignment has inspired me to learn more about creating and managing websites (more complicated than Blogger sites). I feel capable of at least the basic administrative functions, and I have a better understanding of where to look for more information.

WordPress

At first I was intimidated by WordPress, especially since I was mentally lumping it with Drupal, and I am still very intimidated by that one. But after playing around with it for a few hours, I really like the program! I feel like I have a lot more autonomy than I do with Blogger, but it's not over my head. However, I can't help but feel like I do not yet have a full understanding of the program, as I do not know how to actually start the blog/webpage (Dr. O. took care of this step for us). Once the maymester is over and I have more time, I would like to actually download the program and play around with it more. I wonder if this is the program that other MLIS students have been using to digitize their portfolios? I think that it would be well-suited for this purpose.

Wimba Class #2

Tonight we had our second LiveClassroom of the Maymester. Dr. Oguz gave a detailed overview of content management systems (CMS). I feel a little more confident about exploring WordPress for Assignment 2. However, I'm not fully sure how WordPress differs from Blogger, except that multiple users can have administrative privileges on the same site. There also appear to be more gadgets and things that you can add, and more freedom when it comes to personalizing your site. Is that it? Is it just a fancier blog?

Library 2.0

I've finally finished responding to all of the discussions for Module 1, and I have to say, the term "Library 2.0" is starting to bother me. Maybe it's just from hearing/reading/writing it so much, the fact that I don't really know what part of speech it is (noun? adjective?), or maybe it's because it has become jargon to the point where people throw it around without fully understanding the meaning; whatever the reason, I think I've found that it helps to focus on the concepts and reasoning behind it, rather than the term itself. The concepts of a user-centered, interactive, and communal library certainly are an ideal to strive for.

Assignment 1

Part I: Blogs (5pts)

Blog: 

http://la-bibliotecaria.blogspot.com/

Blog RSS feed:

http://la-bibliotecaria.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Part II: Standalone RSS Feeds (5pts)

RSS feed:

http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/36694/

Part III: Online RSS Aggregator (5pts)

I subscribed to all of the blogs and RSS feeds posted thus far, as well as the MLIS RSS feed.

Part IV: Finding a Wiki for a Library (5pts)

I work for the Gwinnett County Public Library (GCPL) System. This public library system consists of 15 branch libraries and had 340,055 registered borrowers as of 2009, out of a total population of 808,167 residents. This represents just over 42% of the total population. The system’s collection consists of over 1,000,000 print and media materials and over 150 online databases. In fiscal year (FY) 2009, over 7.5 million print and media items were checked out, an average of 22 per user. Attendance at library programs totaled over 139,000 in FY 2009.

The goal of the library’s wiki is to introduce the “Library 2.0” concept into the system, to connect the library staff to its users. The wiki should include informative and interactive elements, including elements such as blogs, new book reviews, ask-a-librarian services, and information on how to use the library. The wiki should be free to develop and maintain, include interfaces in multiple languages, and should be simple and intuitive to use for both library staff and users.

Using the WikiMatrix, I eliminated all options that did not have a “mature” development status, as the library wiki should be generally free of “bugs.” I also eliminated all options that were not free to use and maintain. I then eliminated wikis targeted toward individuals or small groups, as this is a substantial library system, and wikis offering limited language options. After eliminating several other options based on a number of factors, I ended up choosing TikiWiki CMS-Groupware. This appears to be a robust wiki that offers many different extras that would be beneficial for a library system.

Part V (5 pts): 

In general, I preferred the blog-generated RSS feed. It is more intuitive for me to have a website to visit, rather than remembering to check an RSS aggregator. While both perform essentially the same function, the blog-generated RSS feed offers the option of following the RSS feed or visiting a website.

If I were to utilize an RSS aggregator, I prefer the format of Google Reader, which seems more user-friendly than RapidFeeds. This may be due in part because I still find Rapid Feeds to be “above my head,” so to speak. I am more accustomed to layouts, options, and settings resembling those of Google Reader.

First Wimba class

Although I was unable to be present for the first Wimba classroom meeting, listening to the archive was enlightening. To be honest, prior to the beginning of this course, I really wasn't clear what "Web 2.0" and "Library 2.0" referred to. I now have a clearer understanding of these concepts.

Also, although I had played around with RSS feeds, I really never could appreciate their utility, and I always ended up abandoning them. Hopefully through this course I will develop more of an appreciation for them, or at the very least, an understanding of how to use them.

I look forward to the next few modules, although I already find them a little intimidating...

Introduction

My name is Erin, and I'm a student in the Master of Library and Information Science program at Valdosta State University. Outside of school, I work full-time for the Gwinnett County Public Library system, as a Library Associate at the Norcross Branch Library.

I've created this blog in partial fulfillment of the requirements for MLIS 7505--Applied Technology in Library Practice. I hope to learn a lot from this course, as my technology experiences up until now are essentially limited to social networking, instant messaging, blogs, and wikis. I have very limited experience with RSS feeds, so this will be my first challenge in this course.

This is a test!

TESTING--1, 2!!!