Thing 35, Wakoopa

Boy, I hadn't realised I had taken that looonnng a break -- January to April, my how time flies when you are, uh, busy. But I've come back to learn more. I found this assignment quite interesting as it was not something I had considered at all -- tracking software and how you might use it. I can see how it would be very useful on public access computers. It allows for certain navel-gazing when done only for the individual.


I was able to install it first on my home computer and then also on my work computer. I use the computer differently in each setting. At home it is mainly social use (and I swear it wasn't me using WebKinz!) but my work use seems to have provided some new software to Wakoopa -- such as an ILS (which is what Deer Hunter -- aka Horizon 7.5 -- has to be as nothing else comes close) and using OCLC's Connexion -- both of which I tried to write descriptions for on Wakoopa but I wonder if they'll be accepted or not. Perhaps I'll try reviewing one of them (okay I reviewed Connexion). I could not fit either one into the specified categories in the description. Interesting that there is nothing there for even a database which might be the closest category.

I tried inserting the code in the post but that didn't seem to work well so I went and did the badge on the blog and that is rather cool. I don't mind people seeing my top 10 software. I do admit that I am not sure I like the whole level of tracking involved here and that I had to individually set the privacy for each software program rather than being able to do something in a blanket fashion, say block all games.

And I do wonder what use, if any, Wakoopa, makes of the information collected through its service. We see the kind of tracking that happens in gmail -- those ads that pick up on what is in your messages -- and I know it is all computer generated (and sometimes rather amusing) but it is still personal information that may well be being collected. I'll have to see whether I stay on Wakoopa or not -- for now it is interesting but I'll have to either stick with it or deactivate my account.

Thing 32, Netvibes

I was really excited by the potential of Netvibes but am less thrilled but what I have come up with. I am probably not thinking it all through but I seem to be just collecting links with thumbnails and presenting them. Not thrilling.

Then I worked out how to get the webpage to display when they don't have a thumb nail. I used a combination of the different kinds of links to make it more visually appealing. I can see how you could spend a lot of time tinkering with this.

I tried to find ways to link to photos but couldn't find that without going through flickr and not all my photos are on flickr --they are on my home computer or on Facebook. There were many widgets which would link me to others photos which I was not interested in. Hmm.

I can see how this could be well used by libraries but it takes a lot of time to learn how to do it well -- you need to get you own widgets (which scares me, I'll admit). And you need to spend time thinking about what to put on the pages, how they are laid out and all that.

But it also does allow templates and it is much easier than trying to code it yourself. So I have mixed feelings about it.

As an end note: Omaha public library is going to be changing it's website so I might lose a lot of my links.