Publishing Evolution #84: Writer Communities & Author Websites

I don't particularly have a favorite author, I just like to read good books! However I have helped many patrons find the websites of their favorite author, it definitely is helpful when you visit their websites. Some websites are updated often whereas others aren't. Many of them allow you to email or leave comments or give you an option to join their fan club. Books published by popular vote? Well I don't know about that, I tend to sway away from popular books because I think its just hype in the end.I think it would give me less faith. Some novels I must get a really good review from a friend I trust before I would read it.

Publishing Evolution #83: Paper to Pixels (or e-ink)

I definitely prefer ink and paper, the glare of the computer screen is not as appealing as crisp pages and the new book smell. I think it's great that materials are available at the click of a button, who doesnt like convenience? But there is nothing like finding a confortable spot in the house or outside and immersing yourself in a good book. Reading materials in paper format is more important to me, I remember reading assigned books, I would make notes in the margin, I can highlight things I need to reference back to. Yes you can do it on a digital format but when you think about it, what if you have no access to the computer, computer crashes, or there is a power outage? The digital format would not be of use at all.

Price definitely influences whether or not I would buy something. But regardless I would prefer the paper and ink stuff. A book is portable and cheaper in the long run, in order to access digital materials, you need first a computer or some type of overpriced computerized device to retrieve it and then you have to buy the actual file. Call me old fashioned I guess.

I went to iFiction, and I definitely like the idea. I have a magazine subscription that does something similar to this. They have excerpts from what they call "Good Reads" and I have found myself finding interest in the items after I have read a small part of the book. Its practically what you would do in a bookstore, flip through a few pages, read a few paragraphs and if you like it purchase it.

Working in a library is great, I get to see all kinds of new materials when they come in at the branch. I get to read the books or preview them without paying the price.

Publishing Evolution #82: Print on Demand

I knew there were self publishing authors but I never knew how they got their books published, the quality of some of the books I've seen are questionable but other seem to look really well done. I would have to say I like Authorhouse the best, it seems to give aspiring offers more of a choice and their content is clear and concise, they know what they are getting for the price they pay. It seems more established as a company, and does not leave the consumer guessing. You know to click on the "bookstore" tab to see the available selections and some of them appear very appealing.

I have not read any of them because majority that I have seen so far and they are of the urban fiction genre. Let's just say that is not my kind of reading material and the editing seems questionable at times. However, there may be one day where I come across another self published book that isn't urban fiction and I may end up reading it. Some of the undiscovered talent are pretty good, I find alot online though.

My opinion on self publishing? Well I like the idea, but I think books that go through the actual book processes, like editing and revisions end up being better quality. Some people have trouble organizing there thoughts and if they were to publish a book, it might be in all sorts of order making the reader somewhat confused. I find that the ones that have gone through the process, have gone through revisions and have been looked at by numerous people. So I guess I prefer the traditional route.

The Future of Media #81: Get Out Your Crystal Ball

I think the development of 3D technology will have more effect. Visual meadia has changed drastically since it first started out, we had silent movies, to movies with color, to special effects, to computer generated movies, high definition, and now 3-D. My husband and I went to watch Avatar in 3D and the experience is recommended. The parts that had 3D effects made you feel like you were actually in that environment. One part was the destruction on their home and ash particles were flying everywhere, I felt like I could reach out and catch them in my hand. I am not really an early adopter of new gadgets, it just depends on what it is I suppose. I would have to say the DVD player is my favorite media gadget so far, MP3 players are nice but not all can play a video. DVD players play the video and the sound, and have interactive menus that you can use. I love the fact that you can skip around in movies and go to certain chapters where with a VHS the only option you had was the Rewind and FastForward buttons and you had a chance of missing your stopping point if you didnt know the "timing point" in which you stoppied at. Blue Ray is new and nice but I don't find it too practical for those budget minded.

The Future of Media #80: Movies

I love watching movies on my computer, whether it be a DVD in the actual console or online. My husband and I watch movies on the computer at least 4 out of 5 times when it comes to home entertainment. I prefer the TV so we use a special connection to hook up the computer to the tv. The screen is much bigger and allows us to watch the movie on a larger screen. We have watched "Band of the Hand" and "The Lost Boys" through one of the websites my husband found. Hulu had a trailer for The Karate Kid II, that seemed pretty interesting. Normally when we are watching streaming movies, trailers come on, and I find that pretty cool and it definitely lets you know what is coming up. The Last Airbender is coming out and my husband was very excited when he saw the trailer for that movie , I was pretty intrigued when I found out M. Knight Shyamalan was going to take part as well. We like watching "Avatar:The last airbender." We have also used Netflix; I love the availability of online movies through them. We have tried Redbox before but sometimes found the selection rather bland or uninteresting so we stick to online services. Netflix is a great service but the extra cost does not fit into our budget so we just use the free websites available on the net.

#79: Television

I use Hulu all the time, since I don't have cable or even decent digital tv reception, this has been my tv savior. My work schedule varies, some times I get home at 5:30PM and sometimes I get home at 8:15 so I am never on a real time schedule when it comes to chores, tv, or anything else. But whenever I find myself with some spare time, I can catch up on my shows on Hulu. I have watched "dead like me", "The Simpsons", and "House".

I have never watched a tv show on my phone, unfortunately my phone is not high tech enought to have that capability. My husbands phone however, has some internet access through the 3G network an he is able to wach a few things on his phone. I don't think I would be interested in this, I don't like the fact that I would have to strain my eyes to see the image on a screen no bigger than 2" x 3".

I enjoy Youtube, I find alot of interesting videos on there. I don't really have a particular channel that I watch, but my husband, the video junkie, loves to watch a Youtube channel, called the Shaytards. I hear the opening credits to the show every morning when I wake up, my husband works the night shift so he unwinds in the mornings with videos and video games.
I myself have never posted any videos on a website, I don't find an interest in that. I do however share the occasional humorous video from YouTube via Facebook.

Searching #78: Video

My search topic for videos: Pekingese Puppies ( I love pekingese dogs)

I used Truveo first, then I used Blinkx.



I definitely prefer Blinkx, I love the fact that the thumbnails for each video was animated, this helped me see the content of the video without having to open each video separately. I think this feature cuts down of the time it takes to search for a video. With Blinkx, I had to click on each video then wait for it to load and play before I even got an idea of what type of content was in it.


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I visited the HCPL’s YouTube channel and found a lot more videos than I would have expected. Some have very good production methods whereas others were more straightforward. All in all I was very impressed with the quality of the content of the videos. I think if the videos were tagged with more keywords, it would put HCPL more in the public eye. I think our patrons would like more "How to" videos that show them how to do certain library related things. An example would be "how to get a print card", or "how to send a document to the print station". Our Young adult librarian has a great repoire with the teens and I am sure they might be interested in taking part in creating the video. People tend to comprehend pictures and live action videos more so than having to read a paragraph.