Thing 32: Google Maps and Mashups

I don't know if it's because I haven't been keeping up to date with the thing or what, but I was really frustrated by the time I was done making my Google Map. I watched the video on how to use Google maps - but most of that information I was already aware of. I've gotten frustrated with Google maps before so usually when I want directions I use Mapquest, but I did use Google maps when I was looking for a new apartment to see what the neighborhoods looked like.

Even though I knew that you could zoom in on Satellite images, when the video showed me how quick and easy it was to find a major airport "You can even see the planes parked at the gates" it seemed wrong. There's some information that probably shouldn't be on the internet. Major airports especially - national security issue, anyone?

Anyway, I went to make a map of my own. It was hard. I kept getting confused between how to zoom and how to move the map north and south. The computer also kept trying to change which roads I was using. This was a map I was creating and there was a reason I was taking certain streets. Some of the times it switched the routes, it tried to go the wrong way down one-way streets. I didn't find it very intuitive.

Thing 31: More Twitter

It's been awhile since I've posted anything, so if I re-make points here, I'm sorry.

Twitter is awesome. I've been using it consistently since I set up my account. I'm following some famous people (well, famous to me) and some work friends. I've also started following a couple random people. This was a weird, stalkery step, but made easier by the fact that they started following me first. I still haven't set up TweetDeck, but I mean to. It's the one that looks the most popular. My only problem is that I only remember while I'm at work and I want it to be on my computer at home....

I signed up for Mr. Tweet right after I made my account, but so far it hasn't really been helpful. Maybe I'm using it wrong. I've used the text-tweet feature a few times. It's awesome. There are lots of times when I feel the need to share a thought and am nowhere near a computer.

I've been thinking lately about the whole issue with security on Twitter. As of this post, I have my full name and where I live. I wanted it to be easy for other people to find me. But we had a presentation here in the library by a policeman last week talking about all the creepy on the internet and how easy it was to stalk you. Now I'm paranoid. I did add my name to the Twitter directory though...... we'll see.

Other than that, Twitter has been fun. I've found a good site for sharing the songs that are stuck in your head - songza.com and have figured out most of the little twitter nuances. I still have no idea what hashtags are used for.

Twitter questions

What's correct etiquette for Twitter? I know how to not be annoying, but are you supposed to follow people who follow you? All of them? Are you supposed to send a message to people thanking them for following you? What's the deal?

Thing 30 - More Ways to use RSS and Delicious

I love RSS. It has made my life so much easier over the past year, I can't imagine living without it. I looked back at my posts from the first round of 23 things, and apparently I thought it was stalker-ish. Twitter is way worse, and I love that! My RSS is through Bloglines and I still find that easier to use than Google Reader. I check it at least once a day to make sure I don't get overloaded with posts. I don't really sort my RSS. I follow some other 23 things participants, and I do have those in a separate folder. And during primary season, I had all my political blogs in a separate folder (they were taking over). The others I just keep alphabetical.

I tried using the RSS locater. Maybe I was doing it wrong, but it didn't seem to come up with anything useful. I looked at some of the examples that were on the thing page, but none of them fit with what I use RSS for. If I lived in a city larger than Fargo, the Travel updates would probably be pretty cool.

Delicious. well.......... I haven't use it since last time. I tried to sign in and apparently didn't remember my password, so I had to set up a new account. Then I realized that I don't use bookmarks. I did in college, but haven't in years. So I didn't really know what to do. I'll check with some other people here in Moorhead and see what they use it for.

Thing 29 - and another thing

I haven't tried Goog-411, but I'm putting it in my phone. I may need it someday. I wish it had a less-annoying name...

Thing 29 - Google Tools

Looking through the options for thing 29, I'll admit I wasn't all that excited about this thing. I didn't want to use Web History because of the privacy issue. I clear all the private data off of my home computer at least once or twice a month. I don't necessarily think that anyone's gonna steal my information, but I just don't like having it there in plain sight.

The Google calendar has been really useful here at the library. We use it to set up a schedule for the use of our meeting rooms, since it's easy to access at any of the staff computers. In my personal life, I have a pocket calendar that's always in my purse. You don't always have access to a computer when trying to schedule things, so for me - a hard copy is better.

I already had a Google account that was automatically created when I signed up for Blogger last year, and I've used gmail for a computer class before. Thing is, I've been using hotmail since 1998. I'm usually resistant to change, but hotmail has been acting up lately and has big ads all over the place, so I'm giving in and switching to gmail. Everyone here at work tells me that this is a good thing.

I've also set up Google News. I already use an aggregator and have both CNN and InForum feeds, but I'll use both and see which one wins out.

Thing 28 - Customized Home Pages

I set up an iGoogle page during the first round of 23 things, but I have not used it a single time since then. One of the reasons I love Google so much is that it's so simple. Google is actually my homepage at home, but just the plain one. I get distracted very easily and usually when I go to look something up, I'm doing so right away so I don't forget. If I have tons of applications on there, I'm going to see something else and read that instead.

I signed into my google account, just to see what the page was like. I put a lot of really stupid stuff on there last year. I figured it was probably going to be easier to start over with a new site than rebuild my Google page. I tried Netvibes first, but I couldn't figure out how to modify anything and all the news applications were through CBS. I would rather get my news from almost any other source. I gave up on Netvibes and tried PageFlakes. That was really easy. I could move stuff around. It was very customizable. At first I couldn't figure out how to make applications go away, but I figured it out.

I'm going to try to use it more often this time around. We shall see.