#6--Emotions=Poetry + Pictures of Cats

I liked the OLC site's "Libraries are for users!" page simply for the 2008 Digital Project Report link. Because I'm a nerd. The "Where do users go for information?" and "What do users expect online?" sections contained a good selection of information that those working in the public services arena should know in order to better understand context for the users' wants/needs.

• 71% of users only get online to surf the Internet aimlessly?

Personal side note: The "Internet" is a proper noun, and should be treated as such. Capital "I."

• 25% of Internet users are just looking for "humorous content"?

(I guess this holds true when I think of experiences on the lower info desk; if I get to help someone search for Shakira ringtones or log them off after "stumbling" on a semi-pornographic site that won't let them leave, then my day is complete.)

Along the same lines, I thought it was interesting that the Customer Service 123 site emphasized the fact that patrons' information needs and wants are evolving/changing. I did not agree with everything the creators of this site posited, but a fantastic point was made on the Customer page. "Customer satisfaction is emotional, not logical."

To throw in some emotional flavor, I will end with part of a poem I just Googled:

If I ever decided to shoplift
and then got caught for shoplifting
I would say I was undercover
doing a journalistic piece on shoplifting

Obviously I would be prepared
have proof upon my person
I’ll take notes on shoplifting
So while getting handcuffed I could say...

Shoplifting by Leah Ianonne

#5--Extreme hold-placing

OK. No one is going to read my posts if they just keep getting longer. I don't even want to read them, they're so intimidatingly long.

I've used both methods before. Both methods are basically on the same level in terms of simplicity and effectiveness, if I'm honest. BUT--
When going through method #2, I almost hit the "Start Over" button instead of the "Request" button. Not only was I embarrassed at having almost been tricked while my guard was lax (never down), but I don't think that the process from the book bag to the final request is appealing or intuitive.
And so I state my case:
For the purpose of aesthetics, natural flow, and maneuverability, I fully believe that the positions of the "Request Selected"/"Request All" and "Start Over"/"Logout" buttons should be switched. On most websites, the "Submit" button is at least at the bottom, right?

What if I had been helping a patron and clicked "Start Over" because it had moved in on the "Request" button's territory? We're not playing Risk (although I'm down if you guys want; I'll move in on you like Napoleon on Russia (and lose--if history has taught us anything, it's that there are two strategic factors to keep in mind when invading Russia: it's big and it's cold)).

As a patron, I would use a combination of the two (hold-placing methods, not hypothermia and Russia). Log in first, then add all of the items to the book bag.

As an employee, I'm indifferent. It all comes down to when the patron decides to hand me their library card in order to log them in. Sometimes it's hard to find cards in big purses and the like.

I'm accommodating.

#4--I'm friends with Harley-Davidson.

I am concerned that my last blog was a little long-winded.

Mesa County Public Library and I have been good Facebook friends for awhile now. But I realized that I was missing out on the joys of long-lasting friendships with Coca-Cola and Harley-Davidson. I browsed through the pages of several companies (Boeing, Starbucks, IBM, etc). The common themes between these pages (and the pages of libraries, the President, etc) are exposure and a degree of connection.
Going beyond marketing and publicity, organizations and public figures declaring themselves as "friends" on social networking sites makes us feel a little closer to something that does not actually exist as a tangible relationship. More and more, these pseudo-relationships are forming. For example, on Coca-Cola's Facebook page, there are opportunities for people to "join the community," "meet" the page creators, or get in on the discussions of the delicious cyber-cola world. It's all about the connection--if these pages can get us involved enough to make us feel some sort of emotional relationship, then they have our attention.
It's traditional marketing with an interactive twist--mirroring the way humans behave and connect in relationships. And it's a brilliant and evolving form of advertising.
I didn't really become friends with Harley-Davidson--I just stumbled upon it--but their page is pretty fancy. Heh.
Sorry this post is a little disjointed. I wrote it over a few days, and it's not like I actually know what I'm talking about. Maybe this is why I've never blogged before.

#3--Omniscient Site Map

My quiz results would have said:

"Wow, Lyndsay! My binary mind has been blown by your amazing and improbable 3333.333% test score! Statistically speaking, the quiz would have had to contain 49,985 more questions and still held a denominator of 15 in the equation in order for there to be any realistic possibility of such a high result. How and why did you come to exist?!...0110110011001."

But, alas. I finished the quiz and was told--like many others--that I was not allowed to take the quiz more than once. So, I told MyQuizCreator.com that I did only take the quiz once, and that I don't appreciate being called a liar. Either MyQuizCreator.com didn't care or it has a fantastic poker face.

I'm getting ahead of myself with digressions. The title of this blog is "Omniscient Site Map," not "My Ongoing Mental Struggles with Inanimate Objects." (Sounds like a good one, though)
I liked exploring parts of the website that were unknown to me, but the biggest mental note I made while taking the quiz was "Site Map knows everything."
I do not frequently utilize this tool--it's just not the first thing that comes to mind--but I think that it will be a good resource for when I am searching for information at a patron's request . The centralized and consolidated nature of the Site Map will help to shorten interaction times. There are also links and information on the Site Map page that I was not able to find elsewhere.

And I like things in alphabetical order. Indexed.

#2--Hearts or Thumbs?

I use Pandora. I also complain about Pandora.
"I said the Beatles, Pandora! For the love of God, if I have to 'thumbs down' one more Led Zeppelin song..."

So, for this post I decided to see what LastFM was all about.
What is LastFM all about?! (you find yourself asking)

• LastFM offers free mp3 downloads on specific songs
  
• LastFM has an "Events" section that contains concert dates and discussion threads
• LastFM lets you "Shout" (yay?), watch music videos, download applications to your iPhone, enter contests, etc.

I understand the appeal of this website. As Cari wrote in the task blog, LastFM has a slightly annoying social network-y feel to it--but I'm hearing music I haven't before. Take that, Pandora.
I would like to see the difference in the ways that Pandora and LastFM categorize and relate musical styles, because the two techniques have surprisingly dissimilar outcomes.

Don't gloat yet, Corey. I'm not down with "heart"-ing things, and I don't have an iPhone.

Task: Web Log

A couple years ago, I wrote a paper about blogs.

Abstract:
A thorough analysis of the social atmosphere and journalistic ethical dilemmas that surround the fact that everyone has the opportunity to publish for a world-wide audience. For better or worse, pros and cons, brilliance and sleaze, etc, etc.

It must not have been very convincing or exciting though (see Abstract for details), because I had never actually considered starting my own. I would hate to think that my writing is so dry that I could not even persuade myself to partake in the blog bonanza.

Lyndsay's Blog #1.