Thing #8--Social Media Managment Tools

Thing #8 is all about social media.  This is a fun topic, even if I'm not the biggest user of social media.  I have a Facebook account, which is fun and keeps me in touch with friends and family and up to date with the news.  I don't see myself getting any deeper into social media.  At least not at this time.  It's neat to see how many other options there are out there, such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Foursquare and more.  That's a lot to choose from!  I think I'll stick to Facebook. 

On that note, I downloaded the Facebook app to the Kindle Fire and also played around with it on the Nexus.  The apps, as far as I can tell, function and look the same on both devices.  There are definite differences between the screen you get on the computer and the one you get on your mobile device.  That took a little getting used to.  Going through my newsfeed was pretty simple, just scroll down.  Depending on the sensitivity settings on the device, you may accidentally open a story or enlarge a picture you didn't mean to.  Minor detail.  It took me awhile to find the menu to log out of my account.  Swipe from the left side and the whole menu appears.  Handy.  From there I can switch to the library Facebook page and post updates on there as well, check for upcoming events and, way at the bottom, log out of my account.

The one strange thing I noticed is that stories and updates that appear in my newsfeed on the mobile device app don't always appear on my newsfeed when I'm logged in on the computer.  Odd.  I don't know why.  That's the only thing that I found confusing.  Otherwise this is a great way to check what's going on when I can't get to the computer.

There were also apps to manage multiple social media accounts. Not an app that I need at the moment, but could come in handy if I branch out.  I took a look at Buffer.  This will post updates for you on multiple social media sites for you.  Just type it in once or upload your picture once and it will automatically share it on your Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts.  You can have it post simultaneously or schedule it so it posts on one site at a time.  Neat.  If I had more than one account to management that would be useful.

And don't forget to "like" us at www.facebook.com/BemidjiPublicLibrary

Thing #7--Content Saving & Sharing

This was a fun app to try out.  I've experienced a lot of peer pressure to get on Pinterest.  I haven't wanted to because I don't really need another distraction on the Internet.  I finally gave in and I can see why some people find it addictive.  There are a lot of neat things to see on there.

One thing I liked about Pinterest is that I can sign in from my Facebook account.  This way I don't need to remember a new password.  Very handy.  This way it also connected me with all my Facebook friends who already have Pinterest (which happened to be most of them) so I can see what they have on their boards.  Figuring out how to "pin" things took a little while.  Especially pinning things from out on the internet and not just from someone's board.  Fortunately it walked me through it and I was able to get the picture on my board.    

I'm always looking for new ideas for library book displays.  Pinterest is going to be very useful for this.  I've already set up a board for "Library Display Ideas."  It looks like there are good ideas for programs, too.  I can also see me frittering away the hours at home looking at craft ideas and recipes. 

Thing #6--Creating & Editing Docs

For Thing #6 I needed to use an app to write and edit a document.  This is something I do almost everyday on the computer at work, so I was curious to see how this would work on the tablet.

I tried Quickoffice on the Nexus.  This is basically a mobile version of Microsoft Office.  It has some of the same features, but not near as many options to use.  You do need to have a Google Drive account to use Quickoffice.  I don't, so I used my husband's account.  First I looked through the options.  You can write a document in Word, do a spreadsheet or create a powerpoint.  I went with Word since that's what I could see myself using the most.  It's pretty straightforward.  Just tap on the Word icon and you can starting writing.  There are ways to set your font type, font size, underline and all that usual stuff.  To save just tap on the disc icon.  It will bring up several save options and I used Google Drive.  The document was then saved and available to access for future use.

After that, I opened a document that was previously saved on the computer and put into Google Drive.  I wanted to see how it would work editing a previously created document.  It went pretty well.  I was able to open it up in Quickoffice and make some changes and then save my work.  A problem arose when trying to open the recently edited doc on the computer.  Apparently our version of Microsoft Office didn't like it and told me it was corrupt.  After talking with my husband he confirmed that's happened to him as well.  He can open and edit the document once in Google Drive, after that the file comes up as corrupt on MS Word.  I don't know if this is a common occurrence or unique to us.

I think Quickoffice is a neat app for making up short documents as needed or doing some quick editing.  Without a keyboard attached I wouldn't want to create anything large.  The touchpad is easy to use, but not great for lots of typing.

And here's our badge for getting 5 Things accomplished!

 

Thing #5--Notetaking

For Thing #5 I was to choose an app to help me stay organized, take notes and keep on track.  Not one of my strong points in life, so maybe one of these app could help me out with that.  Maybe.

There were two of the selections available for the Kindle Fire, Springpad and Remember the Milk.  After reading some of the reviews I went with Springpad.  It seemed simpler to use for work.  After downloading it, I'm not sure if simpler is the word I'd use, but it isn't too hard to figure out after playing with it a bit.

I had to set up an account to use it, as seems to be the case with most things (I believe I mentioned that earlier).  After that I set about making Springs.  These are basically tabs or notes that are on the screen.  You can have springs for checklists, to-do notes, recipe files, books, movies and more.  I created some to-do notes telling me what to do and by when I need to do them.  After they're done I get to check the box and not worry about them anymore.  I also made a checklist.  My checklist is for the 23 Mobile Things.  I already have been able to check a couple things off.  Yay!  This feature would be rather convenient for grocery lists or packing lists for trips.

The movie, book and recipe features could come in handy, but I don't see myself making use of them.  I don't watch enough movies to have to track them.  It may be useful for ordering DVDs for the Library.  As for the feature keeping track of books I have read or want to read, I do read a lot, but I already have an account at Goodreads that I use and I like a lot better.  To me it is just a hassle to have to type everything in a second time.  If there is a way to sync them together, I haven't found it yet.

In all, I think this would be a useful app for someone who has a smartphone they carry with them.  It would be a lot more useful than having to keep pen and paper handy to write a note to yourself, keep a grocery list from getting lost in your pocket, or maybe even noting down (with a handy picture) of the book you want to check out at the library.  For someone like me, who doesn't have a smartphone and only a tablet I use at work, it's not as helpful.  But who knows.  With more time playing with it, it might become a necessity.

Thing #3--Utilities

I finally was able to nab the Nexus and try out the Google Search app.  My husband downloaded this app soon after he got his tablet so I didn't have to do that step. 

Google Search, if you're just using it to surf the web, is similar to regular Google.  However, it does have a microphone option where you can speak your search terms at it instead of typing them in.  Just tap on the microphone on the search bar and say "Google ______" and it will search for whatever you just said.  Be sure to speak clearly or you may get something totally unrelated to what you need. 

Google is super easy to bring up with this app.  Just swipe up from the bottom of the tablet and it will appear.  No need to go back home or open another window.  I discovered this on accident.  I was trying to scroll down on a news story I was reading and swiped my finger too far down on the tablet.  All of a sudden my story was gone and Google was there!  Thank goodness for the back button. 

Also, you can set up Google to display the weather and show current headlines on topics you're interested in and will tell you if blogs you follow have updated. 

I wasn't able to try out Google Goggles.  The camera on this tablet isn't high resolution so doesn't take very clear pictures.  Sad.  It sounds like a fun feature.  In all, I think it's easy to use and a neat feature to have.

 

Thing #4--Keeping Up

You may notice that I skipped #3. Don't worry, I'll come back to it.  The one app for Thing #3 I could find for the Kindle Fire I didn't get to work.  I tried the iHome Sleep app.  I don't really see this being relevant to my life (I already have an alarm clock), but since I couldn't get it to work I can't really write too much about it.   So I'm going to borrow my husband's tablet and play around with Google Search.  I'll let you know how it goes.

But now for Thing #4.  I downloaded the Flipboard app.  I am a big news junkie on my down time, so this app could come in handy.  After downloading the app I needed to create an account.  I get tired of creating accounts for everything, but I suppose they're necessary.  After that was done I explored the search option.  There are different categories to choose from; sports, entertainment, news, and more.  And under each category is an overwhelming array of choices.  Seriously, there are so many that there's no way I could list them all.  I picked a few from a couple different categories to put on my pages and follow.  By and large it's pretty easy to use.  Just tap on the page you want to go to and it will bring you to the news site.  It doesn't bring you to the actual website, so not all the news stories are available to view through this app.  But there is enough to keep you up to date.  The sites available in the entertainment categories will bring you to the original websites, but only after clicking through a few times.

I think this is a fun app to use if you read a lot of news, but I'm not sure how long I'll keep up my account.  I can typically get everything I need from the newsfeed on my Facebook account.  There is a feature to get that newsfeed imbedded in your Flipboard account, but for some reason the two sites weren't talking to each other when I tried.  I'll try again tonight and see if it will work then.

Thing #2--Mobile Device Tips

For Thing #2 I looked for tips and tricks to try out on my two devices.  First I looked at the sites recommended for the Google Nexus.  I thought I may be able to share with my husband, who owns one, something new he didn't know.  I wasn't very successful.  It has a voice search app that's pretty neat.  It's not as easy to use on the tablet as it would be on the Nexus smart phone.  Apparently after the latest upgrade you need to manually turn on the voice search and then you are able to talk to it.  I then told my husband about tips to save battery life.  "Did you know you can save battery life by turning off your wi-fi?" I asked.  His response was "So turning off the tablet?"  Not quite.  If you're reading an ebook that you've downloaded already, you can turn off your wi-fi and your battery will last longer.  I never would have thought of that.

After reading about the Google Nexus I went searching for tips for the Kindle Fire.  The first one I found was the official user's guide pit out by Amazon.  I didn't find it particularly helpful, so I kept searching.   I found 2 sites that were helpful, but they are a couple years old, so some of the information might not be current.  But what I did try seemed to work. 

http://www.ibtimes.com/kindle-fire-users-guide-15-essential-features-tips-amazons-tablet-387344

http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-57341517-285/your-complete-guide-to-the-kindle-fire/

I was able to figure out how to remove icons from the carousel so there aren't so many things to scroll through.  I think some of them appear there on their own and there's a way to stop that, but I'm still trying to figure that out.  It's in the settings somewhere, I just need to find it. 

Thing #1--Getting Started Blogging

When I heard about the 23 Mobile Things program I was really excited.  I have been toying with the idea of starting a library blog for some time and this gave me a great excuse, I mean opportunity, to do so.

I hope to get out of this program a greater understanding of some of the apps out there, what's available and how to use them.  So many of our patrons use them and have questions about them and it will be nice to be of some assistance when they ask.

For the 23 Things I will primarily be using a Kindle Fire. I realize not all of the apps are available for this device, but our library has one to use so it is the easiest to get my hands on.  Fortunately, I do have access to another tablet and can play around on that, too. So for the other apps I will use a Google Nexus tablet.  It will be interesting to see what the differences are between the two devices.  Maybe I'll be able to pirate someone's iPad and learn my way around that device as well.  But one can only hope.