Thing #4 is all about the joys of RSS. I am already very much a fan of Google Reader. I used to use Bloglines, but I switched to Google Reader because I liked the look of it more, and I felt it was easier to use. So, this "thing" was a quick one for me since I already had an account set up and tons of feeds that I subscribe to. If it wasn't for the reader, I would never be able to keep up with all the blogs and other RSS feeds that I find interesting. Plus, if I miss checking things for a day or two, its all right there the next time I log into the reader.
RSS in itself is such an amazing piece of technology. When I think of Web 2.0, RSS is one of the first things that come to mind. The fact that we are now able to integrate that into our catalog and some different areas of the website is phenomenal. What a groundbreaking way to bring the information that people want right into their hands (or computer screens, as it may be). RSS has revolutionized the way that people get the information they desire.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
OCL Web Challenge 2009: #3
The SEOmoz Web 2.0 Awards were really neat to look at. I am familiar with several of the "bigger" sites on the list, like Picnik, Twitter, Flickr, Facebook, etc., so I stayed away from those and focused on a couple that I'd never heard of before.
The first site I looked into was the travel site Kayak. I have tried other travel booking sites before like Expedia and Priceline, but what is great about Kayak is that you can search those sites all at once. Essentially, you can plan your whole trip (airfare, hotel, car rental, etc) all from one website. Plus there are many different ways to limit your searches to exactly what you need. I would definitely use Kayak in planning upcoming vacations.
Swivel is the second site I explored. I had no idea that putting together a graph could be that much fun! You can input your data from an Excel file or by hand and then Swivel puts all that into the graph or chart of your choice. You can also search graphs that have been posted, which I think would be great for students looking for statistics as part of a report. That's because much of the data is being pulled from credible sources, such as the CDC or Standard & Poors. Very interesting concept!
The first site I looked into was the travel site Kayak. I have tried other travel booking sites before like Expedia and Priceline, but what is great about Kayak is that you can search those sites all at once. Essentially, you can plan your whole trip (airfare, hotel, car rental, etc) all from one website. Plus there are many different ways to limit your searches to exactly what you need. I would definitely use Kayak in planning upcoming vacations.
Swivel is the second site I explored. I had no idea that putting together a graph could be that much fun! You can input your data from an Excel file or by hand and then Swivel puts all that into the graph or chart of your choice. You can also search graphs that have been posted, which I think would be great for students looking for statistics as part of a report. That's because much of the data is being pulled from credible sources, such as the CDC or Standard & Poors. Very interesting concept!
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