rss feeding frenzy??? (thing 3)

I am not being very successful here. I signed up for Google reader. I have signed up for some RSS feeds.

Very confused on how Google reader displays things and it seems like going to an RSS reader is just another thing one needs to look at. (I admit, I have had RSS reluctance for a while.) I set up some folders in Google reader and now am wondering if I can move them around. Tired of having 8 windows open on my computer (with help windows and target urls and Blogger and Google reader etc) when I do this.

One BIG discovery: Known Issues for Blogger: http://knownissues.blogspot.com/2006/09/microsoft-internet-explorer-6.html

"Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 attempts to download links to site feeds, rather than display them in the browser. You can right click the link to copy the location into your feed reader."

THIS accounts for the fact that when I clicked on subscribe to another blog's posts, that the computer gave me a message saying that it was trying to open or save a file of a type it wasn't sure of. GUESS WHAT though.... in at least one other instance, it happened on Firefox too.

Also, I went to a blog and the only subscribe link was to do it in Bloglines. Well, thought I, this can't be right...one must be able to subscribe no matter what reader one uses. So, I searched for that blog using the search button in Google reader (the image to subscribe on said blog, when right-clicked upon was a .gif image) and was able to do it that way.

So, what I want to do...when I come back to this another day in a more refreshed frame of mind

1. look at the help some more. I saw something about adding something so that your RSS feed would be a regular RSS 2.0 feed rather than an "atom" feed, whatever that is
2. try to figure out where to get a nice RSS button for anyone who wants to subscribe to this blog and just make sure it is easier for someone else to subscribe than it was for me to subscribe to other Blogger blogs.
3. try to figure out more about Google reader and moving around in it. If I can't stand it, I guess I will switch to Bloglines.

While I am ranting, I also am getting overwhelmed by the number of things needing sign-ins and passwords to work in Web 2.0. If my brain stops working, I will never ever be able to log in to my email accounts, open any computer, check voicemail, teach online, you name it. It might be time for me to try to do a count of all my ids, passwords, etc. I do know that I am at TILT and am raving.

a thing about 23 Things

23 Things has already helped me. I had no idea it was so easy to set up a blog. Last weekend I went home and set up a blog related to a hobby of mine so that I could share some photos and comments with far flung friends and family without them having to go specifically to a photo sharing site.

Some things about Thing 2 and Thing 18

Thing 2:
Stephen Abram is so right, especially about learning these 2.0 tools...it has to be experience-based learning. You don't know until you do it!

He also spoke about unintended consequences and I think that this is very important in all learning...what ever mode or medium. Serendipity can be quite useful to learning and creativity. He also emphasized the importance of relecting on what you are learning.

"The Ongoing Web Revolution" article from Library Technology Reports (Sept-Oct 2007) was useful for the YouTube video "Web 2.0.. The Machine Is Us/ing Us" (which I think is linked in Thing 18) but you should see it now! I thought it was especially useful for making the distinction between html (format only) and xml. (form and content) though there is much more to learn about this.



Als, here is one of the favorite library related YouTube videos I've ever been clued in to, Introducing the Book (also known as Medieval Helpdesk)....relevant to adjusting to new technologies.

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Thing 6 Soup on sidebar

Apparently have need to do things out of sequence.

Used ImageChef. No idea these image generators existed. This is why 23 Things is good. Fun. Fast. Easy.

Have now deleted avatar!

I discovered that the background of this blog's template is composed of several .gif images. I found what I want to edit. However, I do not know if a .gif can be edited for color and if so, what software might work to do so?? Any ideas out there?

Thing 1 of 23 Things

About Thing 1

• Frustrated that it appears one must know more about how to read html code in order to change the background color of the blog's template. Easy color changes are only for text, it appears. I saw that I could download the template in html. If anyone can help me with how to change the header template background color, I would appreciate it.

• Viewing the Minitex tutorial before getting started on setting up the blog was VERY helpful and am glad that I did so before starting.

• While setting up a Yahoo avatar was mildly amusing, the images available are poorly rendered. Wii game avatars are more fun. The avatar comes down as soon as possible.

• It appears one cannot move the avatar to any place other than within the hierarchy on the right hand side of my template....could not move it to the bottom, for instance...so it is a misnomer to say that you can move page elements around anywhere.

• Google help cleared up the fact that the email account in the header, visible to me, is, in fact, not visible to users of the blog...which is how I wanted it.

• It is totally freaking me out that whatever I write is visible to the whole world!

Welcome to the Fire/EMS/Safety Library blog!

Hi
This is an experiment in learning Web 2.0 tools and is part of the 23 Things On A Stick learning program sponsored by Minnesota libraries. As such, it is a place where we will be posting reactions to learning the tools. If you are a library user, you can ignore my rants on learning how to use these tools......

It is also a place where you can communicate with us at the library.

Gwen