Relocation to shiny new digs

We’re happy to announce that Staff in the Know has moved to a new home: sitk.nashvillepubliclibrary.org

Details to follow…

Morningstar Investment Research Center

Morningstar offers investment information for stocks, mutual funds, and exchange-traded funds. Find information by Ticker Symbol, Company Name, or by constructing a search with the stock/fund screener.

Look in the Help & Education tab for an investment glossary, primers on specialized investments, and online tutorials in Morningstar’s Investing Classroom.

Learn the basics of finding information in Morningstar:

PDF Quick Guide (1 page)
PDF User Guide (20 pages)

Your mission, should you choose to accept it: Go to the Databases page and find Morningstar. Look up a company by name or ticker symbol. Search suggestion: Caterpillar Locate the star rating for the company’s stock. Locate the different printing options.

Nashville Public Library is in WorldCat

Your mission, should you choose to accept it: Create a WorldCat login. Create a brief list of books or movies. (You can duplicate one of the library’s book lists, if you would prefer.) Share a link to your public list in the comments below. Example:  The Fan’s Guide to Baseball

The New ReferenceUSA

Ever wanted to see how many lawyers practice in your zip code? Ever want to compile the addresses of your neighbors for a direct mail campaign? Ever wanted to find out the names of the top executives at local corporations?

You can’t go wrong with ReferenceUSA, the mighty business directory and list-generator.  Now, they’ve streamlined things a bit. So, take a look at the new ReferenceUSA and compile some business lists. View our tour!

Staff suggestion: Wolfram Alpha “Knowledge Engine”

Wolfram Alpha – a new “computational knowledge engine” – had been out for a few weeks now and it has taken every bit of that time for it to make even a little sense. When I first heard about it, I immediately pulled it up and tried a few searches. And I got nothing. “What kind of search engine is this?!” I cried.

Lesson: Don’t approach Wolfram Alpha like you do Google or Yahoo.

I think my first search was “woodworking” or something vague like that. I got a definition, pronunciation, and some synonyms. Not quite what I expected. Where were my search results?

But, Wolfram Alpha isn’t a search engine. It’s a “computational knowledge engine” – meaning we’re not going to get google-like results page. We’re going to get data. Wolfram Alpha seeks to pull you from the mire of millions of search results. Because who needs a search results page when you can get actual data?

Wolfram Alpha gives you data, not for a list of websites.

If you want to search for websites to plan your upcoming trip to Canada, you might be barking up the wrong tree.

A search for canada travel gives zero results.

If you’re looking for real data about a city, state, or country, Wolfram Alpha will knock your socks off.

A search for canada gives us the population, flag, satellite image, demographic info, cultural properties (with charts), related links, and a link to source information (so you can see where Wolfram Alpha got all this data).

Example Searches:

Looking for a historical stock price? How about the price of IBM stock in May of 1982. Click on the chart where the red line intersects the blue line and you get a price.

Looking for an overview of the exchange rate for Dollar to Yen? You can view the history of the exchange rate for the last month, last year, last few years…

Would you like to know weather conditions for Nashville on March 28, 2008? You can see results in metric and non-metric. You can get the temperature, rainfall, humidity, and historical temperatures.

Browsing Wolfram Alpha:

Maybe you thought your search string was a good one but Wolfram Alpha gave you zip. What do you do now?

When Wolfram Alpha doesn’t know how to interpret your search, you’ll get a list of category links to explore. Each category gives example searches. This will give you a good idea of the type of information you can pull out of Wolfram Alpha.

Want even more info?

Read this article from PC World.

iPods Download Audiobooks (And So Can You!)

“But it doesn’t work on iPods,” has been our refrain ever since we introduced Downloadable Audiobooks. Traditionally, iPod devices have not worked with our Netlibrary or Overdrive services because they use the Apple copy-protection format .AAC instead of the Windows codec, .WMA.

Now, both services have introduced books that are compatible with iPod, but each works differently.

MP3 files have no copy-protection, so they are compatible with any MP3 player (Creative, Archos, SanDisk, etc.), including iPods. Many MP3 audiobooks are now available from both Overdrive and Netlibrary.

In addition, Overdrive now allows some of the WMA books to be converted to the iPod-friendly AAC format.

To access this feature, you must download the latest version of Overdrive Media Console 3.2 from the library web site:

www.library.nashville.org » Books Movies Music » Audiobook Help » OverDrive Media Console

Tips:

• Check the icon chart to see if your book is compatible (see images above for examples).
• Plug in your iPod to your PC before you download the book.
• iPod-friendly WMA books do not work with Overdrive on the Mac OS, only Windows XP or Vista.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it: 1. Use NetLibrary or OverDrive to find an iPod-friendly audiobook. 2. Download the book to your computer. Or, if you’ve already downloaded audiobooks, find a colleague who needs help. If you have any problems, ask for help in the comments.

Gale Hires Robot Readers (PowerSearch 2.0)

The good people and robots over at Gale have been busy reading and sorting their magazine collection into new Princeton files. As a result of this spring cleaning, Tennessee Electronic Library’s PowerSearch will become PowerSearch 2.0 on Wednesday. PowerSearch 2.0 adds some great new options to the robust periodical search.

PowerSearch 2.0 allows you to search across fourteen TEL databases including OneFile, General Business, and Health. The default search now offers most popular limiter options: Full-text, Peer-reviewed, or documents with images only. Also, the default search is keyword; this will only match terms in title, author, subject, or abstract. For a more comprehensive search, remember to use entire document.

Powersearch2.0 still breaks down the results into a series of tabs for magazines, journals, books, newspapers, and multimedia. Magazines will appear first, but don’t stop there. Along the left side you will see more results from images and podcasts. Next time you want to watch some old news, head over to PowerSearch’s extensive video collection including videos from NBC Newscasts (Today, Meet the Press) and PBS (Jim Lehrer News Hour, Frontline, Nature). Plus, find matches under podcasts – including NPR’s extensive audio archive. Keep scrolling down your result list to get image results from the UPI photo archive.

Once you hit article level, you can do just about anything short of republishing it. Within each entry you can now listen to a robot read you each article. Hey, these cyborgs are good readers! If you’re running short on time, download all the audio files for your marked articles, then have the robots read to you on your iPod. ¿No habla ingles? Let Gale’s protocol droids translate your article into Spanish or ten other languages. The robots will even reformat the citation so you can cut & paste it into your report.

The most improved part of 2.0 is the Publication Search, which had not seen an update since the nineties. The title lists are now infinitely sortable by format or subject. For example, you can quickly pull up all the full-text magazines that cover “Cooking.” As you mouse-over the titles, you get the important coverage details: full-text and dates of run. Select a title and you can get an RSS feed that will alert you when new issues are available to read in PowerSearch. RSS feeds are also available for any PowerSearch you run.

Check out Tennessee Electronic Library on the database page this Wednesday, July 1st.

Search Defaults: Take Back from Bing

If you use the handy in-browser search box in Internet Explorer this month, you may have noticed  something new. The search results you used to get from Google are gone and now you see results from something called Bing.

What is Bing?

Unless you lost your TV transmission during the digital switch, you’ve probably seen a Bing commercial. They’re weird. They’re everywhere. But have you tried Bing? It’s a search engine, like Yahoo!. The results look similar, but there are some additions.

1. Expanded Description
   When you mouse over the orange dot to the right of each result, you’ll get a box with an expanded description and some links on the page.
2. Search from Results
   Sometimes you even get a search box in the results list. Search for Nashville Public Library and you’ll see a search box for searching the library catalog within the result.  Search for Amazon and you’ll see a list of results with the Amazon search box.
3. More Options
   Search results are listed in the center,  and you’ll see links for related searches or ways to narrow your search along the left side. A search for the band Green Day lets me narrow to Images, Songs, Lyrics, Downloads, Fan Club, etc.

I tried Bing. I want Google/Yahoo! back in my search engine box!

The first time I got results from Bing, I was surprised. Microsoft had changed my search engine without telling me. The second time I got results from Bing, I was mad. I wanted to take back my browser power.

Internet Explorer 6

• Click on the SEARCH BUTTON in the Toolbar.
• At bottom of ‘What are you looking for’ panel, select CHANGE PREFERENCES.
• Under ‘How do you want to search companion?’ choose CHANGE INTERNET SEARCH BEHAVIOR
• Next, select SELECT DEFAULT SEARCH and OK.
• Choose your favorite search engine (c. 1997) and select OK.
• This should change the results from this search box and search terms typed in the address bar.

Internet Explorer 7:

• Beside the Search Box there is a magnifying glass icon. Next to the icon is a tiny grey triangle – select it with mouse.
• You should see a list of the search engines currently loaded to your browser. At the bottom of this list, select the option called CHANGE SEARCH DEFAULTS.
• Select the search engine you use most often and click ‘SELEECT DEFAULT, then ‘OK’.

Internet Explorer 8:

• Next to the Search Box there is a magnifying glass icon. Next to the icon is a tiny grey triangle – select it with mouse.
• You should see a list of the search engines currently loaded to your browser. At the bottom of this list, select the option called MANAGE SEARCH PROVIDERS.
• Select the search engine you use most often and click ‘Set as Default’, then ‘Close’.

I use Chrome / Firefox. How do I change my default search engine?

Google Chrome 2.0

• Right-click on the Address Bar.
• Select EDIT SEARCH ENGINES…
• Select your preferred Search Engine from the list.
• Then click ‘Make Default’ button.

Firefox 2, 3:

• Next to the search box is a logo for the selected search engine.
• Click on this logo to select from other loaded search engines. This selection should remain through future sessions until changed.
• If Google (or preferred engine) is not in this list, use “Manage Search Engines” to add it to the list.

Wireless Printing Not Working?

Are you online?

You can work in the library, create files, listen to music, without going online. Check that you have connected to the Internet by opening a browser and visiting a web page. Wireless Printing will not function when a computer is not connected.

If you are not connected…

View the computer’s available networks (Control Panel) and enable the wireless network card. You will need to select the Library’s wireless network from the list of available networks. Open the web browser. Then, you will need to agree to the Internet policy when it appears in the browser.

Have you installed the Wireless Printing Software?

Check the printers listed in the software’s Printing utility (File – Print). If you do not see the library’s network printers listed under Name:, then you have not successfully installed the software. Return to the Wireless Computers home page, the first page that is loaded after accepting the terms. Follow the instructions for loading the software. Remember, the software is erased after the computer is restarted, and must be re-installed for each session.

Are you Running Windows Vista?

Our print software sends up about a dozen red flags on the Vista security checklist. In order to get Vista to install the software, you need to keep hitting ‘Agree’, ‘Allow’, and so forth to every warning message that appears. Be sure to read each warning to be sure you are comfortable with each step of the installation.

LPT will still not install?

If the computer refuses to install the wireless printing software, contact Tech Support for troubleshooting help. You will need to do this while the error is in front of you, so they can troubleshoot the issue with you.

Do you have any tips for troubleshooting Wi-Fi printing? Please share with everyone in the Comments.

Using the Library Catalog: Preferred Searches

Have you ever used the Suggest a Title form on the library web site? It lets you ask the library to buy an item that is not owned. This is very useful, but how do you know if or when the library will buy it?

Maybe you have a favorite author/actor and you want to know when the library adds a new book/movie by them? Maybe you’re sick of being number 472 in line for a best-seller? Or maybe you just want to know when the new World Almanac is out? (Really?)

Preferred Searches let you see when new items you are interested have been added at the library. You can set up Email alerts to notify you when new items match your search. You can make Preferred Searches for any Title, Author, Subject, or anything else you look up in the catalog!

These instructions have been added to the suggest a title pages on the library website. Please spread the word about this service!

Here’s how to set up a Preferred Search:

Your mission, should you choose to accept it: 1. Watch the slideshow. 2. Set up a Preferred Search in the catalog. If you have any problems, ask for help in the comments. Extra: Do you already use Preferred Search?

Google Chrome

We’re all used to Internet Explorer. A lot of us have started using Firefox. Why on earth do we need another Internet browser? What’s the big deal about Google Chrome?

When I first downloaded Chrome, I used it for a few hours and thought “What’s the big deal? It looks like all the other browsers out there.”

And that’s true, at first glance. But look  a little closer and you’ll notice a few differences. Then, if you open the hood and look at the guts of the browser, you’ll notice a lot of differences.

First Glance Features:

Home page defaults to your nine most visited pages
Say you get online every morning and immediately check the Tennessean, the weather, the day’s comics, CNN, and your email. Let’s say you visit those sites a lot during the day. Chrome will remember that and show you quick links to your most visited sites each time you open a new browser window.

No Title Bar – No Menu Bar
Chrome gives you tabs right at the top of the page. Next is the address bar. That’s it. Because why waste room that you could use to view the web page you’re looking at?

No search box in the upper right corner
While other browsers are making an integrated search box standard (like Firefox),  Google chose to eliminate that feature. Instead, they made the address bar function as both address bar and search box – they call it the Omnibar. If you type a web address, you’ll go to a web page. If you type keywords, you’ll get Google search results.

A lot of what’s special about Chrome is what you can’t see.

IE and FF are built of the original browser tech from the nineties – designed only for viewing HTML web pages. as new tech was introduced, these had to be added on later – the browser itself did not do any of the new tech. Google chrome is the first browser designed from the ground-up with today’s technology in mind

What’s special about Chrome is what you can’t see

IE and FF are built of the original browser technology from the nineties – back when browsers were just used to view HTML web pages. As new technology was introduced (like JavaScript and Flash – for all our blinking, video heavy pages), it had to be added on.

Google Chrome was built from scratch. It is the first browser designed from the ground-up with today’s technology in mind. Why is that important?

Chrome is fast
Chrome was built to handle complex Internet tasks, like uploading photos, online editing, and all the web applications we’ve covered on Staff in the Know. It was built with current Internet use in mind, so web applications work very fast.

Chrome runs each tab separately
If you’ve ever used Firefox on Internet Explorer 7, you have probably used tabs. And you’ve probably had one tab freeze up. With Firefox and IE, when one tab freezes, they all freeze. Chrome runs each tab as a separate process. So, if one tab freezes, it doesn’t affect the other tabs.

Chrome has Application Shortcuts
Web apps are programs that live on the Internet – they are not saved on your computer. Because apps live on the Internet, it can take a while to get to one: you have to open a browser and type a web address. Not difficult, but definitely more than one double-click. Chrome incorporates “Application Shortcuts” to make it easier to get to web applications.

Here’s how to create an Application Shortcut:

You can create a shortcut using IE or Firefox, but it is a far more involved process that is not readily available from within the browser itself. Plus, when you click on a normal desktop shortcut, it’s just a shortcut to the website – with the title bar and menu bar and address bar. Chrome’s Application Shortcuts only give you the program with none of the internet tools in the way.

Browsers of the Future

You may not be curious enough to use Chrome, but rest assured that the same browser technology will soon be copied by Firefox and Internet Explorer. The Internet has changed – you can do so much more than just view web pages. Look out for more advances coming soon to the browser of your choice.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it: Download and install Google Chrome. Upload a picture to Picnik using Internet Explorer. Then upload a picture to Picnik using Chrome. Can you see the difference? If you have any problems, ask for help in the comments. Extra: Do you have a favorite browser?

NetLibrary Media Center: how-to

Last week we had a refresher course on using NetLibrary with Windows Media Center. This week, we’re going to learn how to use a different software program to find and download NetLibrary audiobooks.

NetLibrary Media Center is free software that will allow you to browse, download and transfer NetLibrary audiobooks all in one program. Once you’ve downloaded the software, you do not have to visit netlibrary.com again.

Here’s how it works:

Your mission, should you choose to accept it: 1. Download and install NetLibrary Media Center. If you are unable to complete this, please contact ITS. 2. Use NetLibrary Media Center to find an audiobook. 3. Download an audiobook. If you have an mp3 player, transfer the book to your player. 4. If you have any problems, ask for help in the comments.

NetLibrary & Windows Media Player: how-to

Maybe you’ve successfully downloaded an audiobook from NetLibrary. Maybe using NetLibrary drives you mad. If it makes you feel any better, your friendly web-team members fall into both camps. Some days it is a breeze and other days you want to bang your head on the wall.

NetLibrary has made some changes recently, so this week is a refresher course on downloading audiobooks. Here’s the skinny:

NetLibrary offers WMA and MP3 audiobooks.

• WMA means they cannot be played on an iPod.
• MP3 books can be played on an iPod.

You will need software to use NetLibrary.

• Windows Media Player
• NetLibrary Media Center

You must register for an account with NetLibrary before you can check out a book.

NetLibrary how-to: step by step

Your mission, should you choose to accept it: 1. Download a NetLibrary audiobook. 2. If you have an mp3 player, transfer the book to your player. 3. If you have any problems, ask for help in the comments.

Unemployment Benefits Form

The Unemployment Office has been busier than usual. Now that this process is online, many library visitors are taking advantage of the library’s free public access computers to apply for and certify benefits. A few items to keep in mind about Tennessee’s online unemployment form:

Before Filing

• Do not file the same week you were laid off. Wait until the Sunday following the week you last worked to file.
• The form may time-out, so have all information (including employer names, addresses, and dates) handy before you start.
• Read the latest dateline.pdf from the Labor website. It will answer current questions about Unemployment benefits.
• Collect details on the past 18 months of work history. Dates of employment need not be exact, use the closest month and approximate date.
• You can file if you live out of state. You will file in the state where work was performed – benefits are not determined by where you live.

Tips for Filing Online

• Online form is linked from Public Computer start pages under ‘Find A Job’.
• DO NOT use your browser’s back or refresh buttons.
• Use the TAB key to move to next blank, use the space bar to toggle YES/NO buttons.
• Avoid using any punctuation in the form blanks.
• Do not fill in blanks without an asterisk. Do not add “n/a” or answer any question that does not apply to you.
• Withhold the 10% tax with each check; this can always be altered later.

Job availability notices

Are you going to be “called back”?

Only answer YES if you have been given a specific date by your former employer. Otherwise, answer NO, even if you believe you will be called back soon.

Minimum starting wage?

Enter the absolute minimum hourly wage you can live on – this will make you visible to more employers, does not assign you that wage. Current minimum wage: $6.55 (May, 2009)

After You file…

Print the confirmation screen for your records. Keep any mail notices you receive. Register at a Tennessee Career Center within one month of applying.

We have experienced some connection difficulties using this form on public access computers, please report any interruptions.

Twitter Search

Say as you were returning from lunch you overhear someone mention a plane landing in the Hudson River. When you return to your computer, you might check several news websites to get a story. Or you could try a Twitter Search.

If you had done a Twitter Search in January, on the day the plane landed in the Hudson River, you would have seen a tweet by Janis Krums. He is the rescuer who posted the first picture of the accident from a cell phone on a nearby ferry boat.

Twitter Search for Breaking News

Have you ever seen four fire engines head down Broadway, then an hour later Google “fire Broadway Nashville,”  only to find that nothing? Local news sites also coming up empty? What was going on? Why can’t I find it on Google? Does this sounds familiar?

Retrieving current information on local occurrences can be challenging. Yet with so many Tweeters now reporting from their cell phones, there is a good chance that an eyewitness mentioned it on their Twitter. Twitter Search offers a way to find real-time updates on just about anything. Type in a topic and search will turn up any recent tweets with those words included.

Twitter Search helps businesses too

We saw how friends might use Twitter to make casual comments to a group. Unlike the office water cooler, Twitter comments are very public – meaning all these casual conversations can be found. Why is this useful?

Businesses can use Twitter Search to find out what people are saying about their company. Say someone tweets to their pals about the Olive Garden restaurant. Olive Garden’s management could search twitter.

• i love olive garden now that i figured out i can get soup and not that gross salad
• I like that Zuppa Toscana from Olive Garden myself
• Is there really a Culinary Institute of Tuscany, like in those Olive Garden commercials?
• Heading out to Olive Garden tonight

Some tweets give honest opinions on company issues, like menu choices or commercials. Others may be less direct, but  Olive Garden can still see who dines there. Companies would normally pay marketing firms to identify customer preferences, now Twitter offers the same data free.

Want to see what people think about your branch library? Check it out on Twitter Search. You’ll see some compliments that will make you smile. But you’ll also see some comments about what we could do better. Anything that gives such candid feedback is a good thing to watch.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it: 1. Do a Twitter Search for: Nashville Public Library AND Your branch library 2. Did you find anything? Let us know in the comments.

Why Twitter? Communicate the Everyday Things

@Peabody Twitter for emergencies. Got it. But I still don’t see why a friend would care if I’m at Bongo Java.

@Stella I watched the UConn game at a sports bar last week. No one cared when UConn was down, but I could commiserate with friends on Twitter.

@Peabody Instead of just sending eight separate text messages to eight friends, you sent one tweet to all your friends with Twitter?

@Stella Right. And my friends tweeted back – 8 friends talking on Twitter. And my buddy Dan came to watch the 2nd half because of my tweet.

Twitter is a good way to keep up with friends

Last week we talked about how Twitter could be used during an emergency. But Twitter is also useful for casually keeping up with your friends and family.

For instance, you wouldn’t email all your friends just to say you’re watching basketball. And you’d feel foolish emailing all of your friends to tell them you’ll be in Kentucky for the weekend. But your friends might like to hear about the little things that are going on in your life. These little things help us feel connected in between times when we can talk to each another.

So, my brother might tweet “Headed down to Bongo Java for some coffee and cake.” That’s not really worth a phone call or email to 30 people, but it is a fine thing to mention in passing. And who knows, maybe a friend is up for some cake. Because of Twitter you could have an impromptu meet-up, much like we used to stop in when we saw someone out on their front porch.

Twitter is a great way to spread the word

Twitter is a way to know what’s going on outside your own circle. Say you’re on the bus headed for work and you overhear someone talking about the rumored Keith Urban video shooting downtown. You might know one person who’s a Keith Urban fan, so you could email your friend. Or you could tweet the news to your circle of friends on Twitter. Now, anyone you know who has a friend who likes Keith Urban can spread the word to their friends. Without Twitter, the news may have spread much slower in your circle.

With emails, blogs, or texts, we message people we know – our audience is limited. Twitter lets to spread the word to an entire circle of people who can then spread the word to their circle of friends.

Twitter is great for businesses and organizations

If you’re wondering how a business might use Twitter, Comcast is one of the the best examples we have seen. Visit the ComcastCares Twitter page and you’ll see what we mean. You’ll see dozens and dozens of @ replies where the Director of Digital Care it talking to customers who have tweeted to @ComcastCares. If you’ve got a problem with your Comcast service, just tweet a message to @ComcastCares and the Digital Care rep will tweet back and try to help. It is simple, direct and personal.

Starbucks also reaches out to customers through Twitter. Wondering if you should store your coffee in the freezer?  Curious to know a coffee similar to the seasonal Christmas Blend? If you have a coffee question, tweet it to @Starbucks and Brad will get back to you.

H&R Block used Twitter to respond to tax questions. Amazon and Dell often post special deals on Twitter. These are just a few of the ways companies can reach out to customers through Twitter.

You’ll even find the library experimenting with Twitter. If you haven’t checked it out yet, visit the Nashville Public Library Twitter page. You’ll see tweets about upcoming events and even questions about the very first Online Book Club pick. Who knows where it will go from there?

What do you think of all this Twittering?

Do you tweet? Do you follow anyone on Twitter? There’s no activity on this one, so just share your thoughts in the comments.

Twitter: Spread the word #mboro

Twitter can help you broadcast important news

Last Friday afternoon, hundreds of people used Twitter to report on the severe storm in Middle Tennessee:

#mboro – tornado touchdown on broad at 840. take cover.

Reported Tornado Touchdown in Murfreesboro, TNhttp://tinyurl.com/cewbso

Emergency services are responding to reports that people are trapped in Murfreesboro, Tenn. after tornado hits; homes destroyed.

The Carpenter’s House church in Murfreesboro is open as a shelter for those affected by the storm.

Thompson lane and Murfreesboro road area is shut down to all traffic

Yeah, there’s a LOT of damage in Murfreesboro, where i live…massive tornadoes here…but me and my family are safe

If you are in or around Murfreesboro, please stay off cell phones. Cell towers taken out and police need the lines.

My dad says his house in Murfreesboro is ok! Thank goodness.

Heard about the tornados in Tennessee. Are you safe?

Yep. I’m good.

Just heard from in-laws who live in Murfreesboro that it looks like they came through the storms without damage.

Glad to hear all my #murfreesboro bandmates and friends are ok after the #tornado

In emergency situations, getting the word out quickly is paramount. After the storm, the first concern is letting everyone know that you’re safe. Cellphones make this an easy task, but you have to make calls to a lot of people. Meanwhile, your friends and family are all frantically dialing all the same people. This is not ideal for keeping emergency communications channels open for rescue workers.

Twitter, makes spreading the news much quicker. One tweet from your cell phone can let all of your friends know if you’re okay. In turn, your friends can retweet your news to further spread the word among your peers. This frees up the communication channels and allows you to reach more people with one text.

Another unique thing happened: Twitter connected the online community to the event as it occurred. Eyewitnesses, local residents, media, and weather agencies, were tweeting information, pictures, and links. Twitter satisfies your curiosity to know what is happening. And it allows you to leverage the power of many people to find the information you need during and after an emergency.

What do you think? Do you see a future with this kind of communication?

March Apps Mania 2009 Finalists

We’ve only had voting open a week, but since tonight is the finals for REAL madness, we thought we’d post our finalists.

Here’s the bracket as it stands now:

Twitter really did get the highest number of votes – this isn’t just some stunt to introduce our Twitter Month. Really.

If you haven’t seen it already, check out the Twitter How-to. And stay tuned for more Twitter all April-long!

* * * * * * * *

Let’s Tweet (64)

@Peabody What’s Twitter?

@Stella Twitter lets you to send short messages, called tweets, to your friends, family, or anyone who is interested.

@Peabody Why would I want to do that? How is that different from email?

@Stella Read this post. Maybe it will help clear up what Twitter is.

Twitter is most like a Blog

Your posts (or tweets) appear on your Twitter web page. Anyone can visit and read your updates.

Unlike a blog, your twitter doesn’t have to stick to one topic. The posts are much shorter. They include any comments you make to others, so the conversation is not limited to a single page.

Twitter is sort of like Text Messaging

Text messages are short, private notes sent from one cell phone to another. Twitter also lets you send messages from your cell phone, but tweets are public messages shared with many people using phones or the web.

With text messaging you must know the phone number of the person you are contacting. With Twitter, all of your contacts will see your tweet, as well as anyone who visits your Twitter page.

Twitter is even a little like email

You can also use Twitter to send a private message to someone else on the service. These messages are delivered to a special Twitter inbox. Unlike email, you don’t have to know an email address or add a descriptive subject line.

Here’s how it works:

Stay tuned!

Wondering why anyone would bother with Twitter? You’re not alone. We will share some practical uses for Twitter over the next few weeks.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it: 1. Watch the “how-to” slideshow (above). 2. If you go to TLA, sign up for Twitter and tweet something (idea you like, comment, or just a shout out) to @TNLA. or Check out the TNLA Twitter page and keep up with the conference.

March Apps Mania 2009 – Bubble Apps and the Bracket

Sometimes there are apps that turn your head, but you can’t quite decide if they’re useful. Yet you still want to share.

These note-taking/note-saving apps fall into that category for us. They’re our bubble apps and they didn’t quite make the bracket.

What do you think? Did they deserve to make the big game? Read on and make your case in the comments.

Cl1p

Want to jot down some notes and have them available at another computer? Just go to http://cl1p.net and start typing. Give your page a name and you’re done. All you do is type the web address of the page you made into the address bar and there are your notes! No sign-up, no password (unless you want to set one, which you can do by clicking “options”), no hassle.

Cl1p is for quick notes, so your page will expire after a set time – from one week to 9 months.

I’m thinking of this for those last minute notes when I don’t want to open up my email or Google Docs. I could use a slip of paper, but I tend to lose those. The only catch here is remembering the web address you create – but you can give the cl1p a name so remembering is easy!

Here’s the one I made: http://cl1p.net/woodworkingDVDs

I can come back and edit it at any time just by going to the web address. You’ll notice, I did not set a password, so you can add to my Cl1p too.

Clipmarks

Clipmarks is similar to Cl1p, but instead of writing notes, I’m copying sections of a webpage (text, photo, video) and saving it or emailing it to myself. I could also print it, which makes it a lot like Print What You Like.

The downside to Clipmarks is that you do have to register. The upside is that it is a good way to take notes on things you find on the web without cluttering up your inbox. And it is more precise than just bookmarking a site.

I like the idea and doing the actual “clipping” was easy. Finding the things I “clip” – well, I’m still working on that.

Remember the Milk

Remember the Milk (RTM) is a powerful to-do list organizer that will keep all your projects in order. But it is also a simple, but powerful, database you can use as personalized notes manager.

Once you sign up, you’ll see a page with several tabs: Inbox, Personal, Study, and Work. New items  you add to RTM go in the Inbox, then you can sort them into the other tabs. You can have as many customized tabs as you want. 

You can create a simple list or each item has room for additional notes.  So, if you were making a list of books, you could add  comments within each entry. 

You can add items directly from the web, phone or email. Plus, RTM is compatible with any Web-enabled mobile device, so you can update your “what-to-read” list from anywhere.

Evernote

Evernote compiles all your notes – from web sites, email, your computer, scanner, or even your phone – in a free web application. Simply drag and drop from the web or send yourself an Evernote email. Don’t even write it down, just leave a voice mail on your Evernote account!

Here’s what my Evernote notebook looks like. I emailed myself the titles of a book and a movie I’d like to watch. Evernote provides a custom email for you to use to send yourself notes. Why is this better then emailing yourself? It gets all your notes in one place! Email is for email. Evernote is for notes and lists and everything that isn’t an email.

The Bracket

Your mission, should you choose to accept it:  1. Take the survey and tell us your favorite apps from each group AND your favorite app of them all.    2. Is there a web app we missed that everyone should know about? Tell us in the comments!