Friday, October 26, 2007

October 29 - November 4, week 8: Images and embedding

This week we look at ways to store and share images online. We look at a way to create engaging images that make people WANT to read your message. We also learn how to add images from other sources to a blog post.

THINGS FOR THIS WEEK
Thing 12. Upload an image to your blog.
Thing 13. Get a flickr account and upload the image and add a few tags.
Thing 14. Use an image generator to describe your progress so far.

Post:
Embed the image from Thing 12 into a blog post.
Embed the image from Thing 14 into a blog post.

Lots of people have already done Thing 12, so mark it off on the Progress Chart now.



This week is brought to you by User Generated Content.


ABOUT USER GENERATED CONTENT
People are publishing their own information on the web and using sites outside of libraries to store, categorise, retrieve and access this. They are depending on each other as information resources. Even when our "stuff" is better, many people are choosing the most convenient online source rather than libraries. Our challenge is to become a more convenient online resource. A service like Picture Australia (see below) harnesses user generated content to enhance the National Library of Australia.


A NOTE ABOUT COPYRIGHT
Kate Makowiecka, the Murdoch University Copyright Coordinator, has made a post for the 23 Things blog outlining some considerations when you add your material to online sites.


ABOUT IMAGE GENERATORS
Image generators are websites you can use to add your own text to images like tattoos, church signs, an etch-a-sketch or a speech bubble from Hugh Laurie's mouth.



ABOUT FLICKR
Flickr is a free photo sharing site now owned by Yahoo. Photos have tags and descriptions. It is a social site - so people have profiles, join groups, comment on each others photos, add their photos to group sets. You can subscribe to the RSS feed of particular sets, or to tags, or to all images uploaded by another user - so a photostream could work like a newsletter . RSS makes it easy to embed images in other sites.




HOW LIBRARIES ARE USING FLICKR



The National Library of Australia invites individuals to contribute to Picture Australia, their public archive of Australian images, by uploading them to Flickr and joining one of these two groups - Picture Australia: People, places and events or Picture Australia: Ourtown.



The Flickr 365 libs
project
involves libraries posting 365 photos of between April 2007/2008. Amanda, Gwyn and Lisa have been uploading our photos. You can see some of our 365libs photos here . If you would like to add some photos of the library to the 365libs project, procedures to do this are here, G:\Common\LET\365libs.

Here are some of Curtin University Library's 365libs photos .




  • American Library Associations Banned Books Week photo pool of events around the country.


  • Penn State Libraries Open House 2007. Staff and students all contributed to the pool of photos from the big Open House event, where the State Library of Pennsylvania has a fun day devoted to helping the students find out more about the library.




  • Exeter Public Library have a Flickr badge, showing recent photos in the library, in the sidebar of their blog.


  • Special mention - LOL Pols group . Not library. Is political. Photos of Australian politicians captioned like LOLcats



FURTHER READING

Get Flickrtastic Andrea Mercado, Web Junction

Ten Ways to Use Flickr in Your Libraries: 15 Minutes of Flickr Michael Stephens

31 Flavours - Things to do with Flickr in Libraries P. F. Anderson, Web Junction

7 Things you should know about Creative Commons Educause


FUN SITE OF THE WEEK:

Mr Picassohead

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