Thing 28 Customized Home Pages

I looked at pageflakes and netvibes but have been using IGoogle for sometime now and will probably continue to do so since Google has so many related functions. I like that I have one username and password for all the things that I have done with Google--my blog, Google Analytics, Gmail, and Google Docs so far. Having to register for yet another account is a big turn off for me and I can't say how many times I have had to have usernames and passwords emailed to me so I can get back into accounts like FaceBook and Twitter. I have Google email, calendar, RSS feeds, and bookmarks for things I need to check frequently and I like that no one else can see the information on my page. It is very easy to setup, can be viewed from anywhere and also can be viewed on portable devices so I can use it as my Itouch homepage. I tried making my own gadget and it was really easy. I added a to do list which will be useful and will help do away with all the little slips of paper I keep in my pockets. I have added another gadget that I think will be useful below.

Thing 27 Twitter

I have a Twitter account and I have actually used it. The last conference I went to used tweets extensively and it was kind of funny to sit in a conference session and see the tweet that someone sent about the very thing I was seeing and hearing. That said, I still need to pay attention to speakers and if I am distracted by tweets or emails or anything else, I might as well stay home. I can see the use for tweets—for example if both my husband and I used them at the mall, I wouldn’t spend so much time looking for him, but at this point in my life, I will probably just wander around. If this becomes really big in the future, forget I said this.

Thing 26 Join the 23 Things Ning

I joined Ning in the 1st round and posted the emblem on my page. That is pretty much where I left it. This time I went back in, updated my information, posted my picture, and responded to someone’s posting. While I can see how useful it would be to use with some ongoing group, I probably won’t use it much for this group. In the past I was part of a Yahoo study group for Milwaukee’s library school comprehensive exam. We were a cohesive group brought together by the fear of failing our final exam and wasting all the time and money put into our MLIS classes. These groups and the means of communication have very definite value in the context of the need. Otherwise, it is just another place among many to look at every day.

Thing 25 Bloggers' Toolkit

Gadgets are really fascinating. These little bits of code that do so many different things. I could have spent all day looking at them. I am adding the code for the "bitty browser."


This allows anyone to do a web search right from my post. I don't know how useful it will be, but there you have it. I also considered a Wikipedia search gadget and saw another gadget that would display a video stream directly from my webcam if I had one. I would not particularly enjoy that, but I am sure some people might.

I put up and took down several widgets before I left the bitty browser because I did not like the amount of advertising in some of the code. I know it is free, but I like it simple.

Thing 24 Refresh Your Blog

I have not done much with my blog since I finished Thing 23. I have blogged on other blogs and read other blogs, but don't do much with my own blog. I do see the value of blogs, but either I am not organized enough or don't care enough to do it myself. I have thought that it would be fun to have my mystery reader group blog about the our books, but that is as far as it went.

I have updated my page some and need to find out how to get the first 23 things off my front page, but I am ready to go. On to Thing 25!