Meta-Search Engines

I tried several searches with different phrases on all three meta-search engines. I didn't like the organization, search results, and aesthetics of Rollyo. I liked the look and feel of Mamma and Dogpile better, but Dogpile was comparatively slow (perhaps their server was slow on this particular day). I still prefer the organization, aesthetics, and navigability of Google. Yahoo is probably my second favorite search engine, and I love their home page.

Mark Mitchell

Podcast This

I listened to the booktalk podcast of The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall at nancykeane.com. There are a number of podcasts and print booktalks for a wide variety of books and audiences at that site. I know Sno-Isle is already doing some podcasting. I think that they can be a useful reader's advisory aid as well as a means of inspiring and informing readers of all tastes. I think that a podcast could be a useful tool here at Sno-Isle for readers of all types of books and information. I have been listening to podcasts for years. One of my favorite sites is the economics podcast on bloomberg.com. This fall, I will be recording a weekly podcast show that covers college football.

Chimp Crazy

Generate This

The image generator has to be one of the greatest ideas ever. I haven't had this much fun since my Mr. Microphone quit working. I love you Online Image Generatin' websites.

Chimp Crazy

OverDrive

I had not previously used OverDrive, but several of my patrons have found it useful and generally easy to use. There are a significant number of titles, but few of my own personal favorite authors. Still, it is pretty easy to use, and there are enough titles to browse and enjoy over time. Finally, the technology works fairly well.

Mark Mitchell

Del.icio.us Social Bookmarking

Del.icio.us and other social bookmarking sites provide a new way to form connections and associations with people and their interests. It can allow a given person the opportunity to link with people according to common interests (and their associated websites) and to monitor those links as they expand with new information. If someone has an interest in a given author or genre, for instance, then one can bookmark websites relating to those authors and genres and build on those associations over time. This could be invaluable for librarians and those who do research as the ability to network with others grows over time and new connections are made.

Mark Mitchell