Podcasts

Podcasts are another great tool for busy people. It's not always possible to listen to something that is being broadcast at a specific time. With podcasts popular radio shows can be made available for people to listen to when it is convenient for them. Training presentations can also be recorded and made available in this format. This would work well for international organizations where people are in different timezones.

Another bonus is being able to refer back to something days, weeks or even months later. We've all taken notes at a conference or workshop and then a few weeks later when you go back to review them you find that they don't always make sense. A podcast would let you review the remarks over and over again directly from the speaker.

I tried a couple of the podcast directory tools but I ended up going back to using the podcast search that is available right in Netvibes. You can enter a search, listen to the podcast and even enter the search onto your Netvibes page. Then, every time you log in to Netvibes the search runs and provides updated results for that search. For someone who needs to keep up to date on a specific topic, this would be a great benefit.

Most of the topics I thought I might search for podcasts on would probably lend themselves better to a video format as visual aids would make the topic easier to understand so I'm not sure podcasts will become a regular part of my online experience.

I Tube, You Tube, We Tube...

I have known about YouTube for quite awhile, (thanks to everyone who has sent an email link), but have avoided going to it. As many people have indicated, it can be a real time waster. After having checked it out for the Library 2.0 project however, I can see how many ways it can be used for purposes other than jokes and people trying to claim their 15 minutes of fame.

The videos ranged from very professional, like to Web 2.0 one, to very basic such as the one I included below. For training purposes these video files are a great way to reach a large, varied audience. Providing instructions for anything is only going to help your audience if they actually take the time to read them. For visual learners a short, well-thought-out video can make a much stronger impact. I also like the way that it suggests similar clips that might be of interest based on the clip you are watching.

Now that I have finally taken the time to discover YouTube I will likely continue to search for useful videos and I'm sure some of the funny ones will find their way onto my computer screen.

Overdue Books and YouTube

Joan W. - this one's for you. Dig out the Little Tykes people and a video camera and we'll make our own public service announcements for the library! Where do people get the ideas for some of this stuff!