This Thing is actually very appropriate and well-timed with goings-on in my library. One of the libraries I work in recently held an infographics contest. While I wasn't able to participate (it was only for students), it did spark an interest and, at the time, it hadn't occurred to me that there may be a tool I could use to create and view infographics on my phone!
I originally intended to download two apps for this Thing-info.Graphics (Apple only) and Infographics Hub (Apple and Android). I shortly realized that Infographics Hub, which I couldn't find in my app store, was only available for the iPad. I then tried to download Visualize (Free), but I couldn't find that one in my app store either (under either name)! When I tried to find it on Apple's website, I got no results, so I'm thinking that perhaps that app is no longer available at all, at least not for Apple.
In any case, I was able to get a hold of info.Graphics, and it is optimized to function with iPhone 5, which is perfect for me! Upon first opening the app there was no tutorial, no login, no how-to, just straight to a feed of infographics (recent? popular? I'm not sure, it wasn't specified). Just click on one to expand it (usually what you see in the feed is just a small portion of the infographic). You can browse those, or look at graphics that have been categorized (business life, education, food and beverages, and movies are a few of the eight main categories) if you have certain interests or information needs. I noticed the app, though a great idea, was also sort of glitchy in practice. Several times when I opened the side menu to view categories it froze, and had to be closed and re-opened. Another feature that would greatly improve the app is some sort of search system, perhaps by keyword or hashtag (#library would have been my first search, but was, sadly, not an option!). But, this app serves its purpose by putting tons of infographics right at your fingertips! I wish I had known about this app while we were running the contest-I had several people ask what an infographic even was, so it would have been great to whip this out and show, rather than just explain. It also could have served as inspiration for students considering entering the contest.
There was one lingering thought regarding info.Graphics...They provide all sorts of infographics, and invite users to share them via social media, but where do they come from? I wasn't able to find an "About" section or anything of the like to explain that....Hmmmm.....[tries to ignore copyright and related concerns....]
Overall (and I can't say I blame them!) there doesn't seem to be much you can do from a phone in terms of creating infographics. Its just not practical. Even viewing them can be a bit of a stretch (lots of zooming to view all the details). But-chalk up another reason for me to upgrade to an iPad! Many more creation and viewing options seem to be possible at the tablet size. Anyway, join me soon for another post-next time on Audio!
Monday, June 9, 2014
Thing 14-Videos!
We're on to Thing 14! But first-updates! I got an email the other day informing me that Springpad (used way back in Thing 5-Notetaking) is shutting down! I'm kind of bummed, as I had actually used that app several times after my report on Thing 5 wrapped up. They are offering export of data to Evernote though, so they aren't leaving users hanging.
Now-to the task at hand-Videos! I downloaded and used Vine and Magisto (both available for Apple and Android) for this thing. I had heard a lot about, and seen a few Vines prior to this thing, but had never seen or heard of Magisto.
Vine, like most apps, required an account for use. The purpose here is to create videos up to six seconds long. Six seconds sounds too short for just about anything, but honestly it seemed like an appropriate length once I got started. With the digital world and the immediacy of information, it seems our attention spans keep shrinking. I rarely just watch TV anymore, with undivided attention. Instead, I am reading on commercial breaks, playing games on my phone during the show, surfing the internet and catching up on email, playing with the dog-you name it. I just don't have the attention span to devote myself to TV, and nothing else. Vine, then, is genius because it only requires your attention in up to six second spans! Its perfect! If a picture says 1,000 words, a Vine can say so much more, without boring people like a longer YouTube video might! I can definitely see this app being great for libraries-it could be a great marketing tool (I'm picturing Vines posted to the library's Facebook, and think that would go over well!). Overall the was very easy to use. It could have been my internet connection, but I was sort of surprised that my short videos took several minutes to upload. One other thing I really enjoyed was scrolling through the video feed of popular Vines-not only were they entertaining, but it was great to see all the ways Vine can be used!
Magisto is more of a movie making too than a video taking tool, if that makes sense. It takes video clips and photos right from your own photo stream on your device and turns them into a movie (or perhaps I should say a "movie," as it isn't really a movie, but more of a video presentation). Magisto actually has an option to create an account or try it out as a guest, which is nice. Once you've chosen your login method, there is a four-screen slide show that describes some of the features. Then, as you begin to create your first movie, pop-ups guide you through each step. First, you choose your videos and photos (up to 10 in the free version), then your theme (there are 16, ranging from 'Summer' [bright and cheery with uptempo songs] to 'Country' [sepia and faded, with country songs]). You can also choose to add a song from your own library, which is awesome. Then, when you're set, you submit your movie for compiling. Mine took less than five minutes and was then ready to view and share. One major gripe, and a reason why I probably wouldn't use this app professionally, is that I used one video and 9 pictures in my movie, but it spliced up the video and put a clip there, then some pictures, then a clip there, and so on, in a random order that I couldn't choose. If I were going to use this professionally, I'd want to design that myself, not leave it up to fate. Beside that, it was a super easy to use app and has the added bonus in that you can control who sees the video-just you, everyone, certain people, etc. I'll definitely keep using it for my personal stuff, as it was fun and easy to use, but don't think I'd use it (at least not the free version) professionally.
That's all for videos, but stay tuned! I'll be posting about infographics shortly!!
Now-to the task at hand-Videos! I downloaded and used Vine and Magisto (both available for Apple and Android) for this thing. I had heard a lot about, and seen a few Vines prior to this thing, but had never seen or heard of Magisto.
Vine, like most apps, required an account for use. The purpose here is to create videos up to six seconds long. Six seconds sounds too short for just about anything, but honestly it seemed like an appropriate length once I got started. With the digital world and the immediacy of information, it seems our attention spans keep shrinking. I rarely just watch TV anymore, with undivided attention. Instead, I am reading on commercial breaks, playing games on my phone during the show, surfing the internet and catching up on email, playing with the dog-you name it. I just don't have the attention span to devote myself to TV, and nothing else. Vine, then, is genius because it only requires your attention in up to six second spans! Its perfect! If a picture says 1,000 words, a Vine can say so much more, without boring people like a longer YouTube video might! I can definitely see this app being great for libraries-it could be a great marketing tool (I'm picturing Vines posted to the library's Facebook, and think that would go over well!). Overall the was very easy to use. It could have been my internet connection, but I was sort of surprised that my short videos took several minutes to upload. One other thing I really enjoyed was scrolling through the video feed of popular Vines-not only were they entertaining, but it was great to see all the ways Vine can be used!
Magisto is more of a movie making too than a video taking tool, if that makes sense. It takes video clips and photos right from your own photo stream on your device and turns them into a movie (or perhaps I should say a "movie," as it isn't really a movie, but more of a video presentation). Magisto actually has an option to create an account or try it out as a guest, which is nice. Once you've chosen your login method, there is a four-screen slide show that describes some of the features. Then, as you begin to create your first movie, pop-ups guide you through each step. First, you choose your videos and photos (up to 10 in the free version), then your theme (there are 16, ranging from 'Summer' [bright and cheery with uptempo songs] to 'Country' [sepia and faded, with country songs]). You can also choose to add a song from your own library, which is awesome. Then, when you're set, you submit your movie for compiling. Mine took less than five minutes and was then ready to view and share. One major gripe, and a reason why I probably wouldn't use this app professionally, is that I used one video and 9 pictures in my movie, but it spliced up the video and put a clip there, then some pictures, then a clip there, and so on, in a random order that I couldn't choose. If I were going to use this professionally, I'd want to design that myself, not leave it up to fate. Beside that, it was a super easy to use app and has the added bonus in that you can control who sees the video-just you, everyone, certain people, etc. I'll definitely keep using it for my personal stuff, as it was fun and easy to use, but don't think I'd use it (at least not the free version) professionally.
That's all for videos, but stay tuned! I'll be posting about infographics shortly!!
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Thing 13-Presentations
Love 'em or hate 'em, presentations of varying degrees of formality are pretty commonplace in librarianship. This Thing looks at some apps that can be used to help create presentations. I scoped out two apps-Haiku Deck (Apple only) and Deck Slideshow Presentations (Apple and Android) for this thing.
Haiku Deck-Right after opening the app for the first time, there is a brief presentation about Haiku Deck (promotional more than informational). Then, as with anything else these days, you have to create an account to get started. Once you've done that, you'll see your "decks" (presentations). At this point, there is just one-"Meet Haiku Deck for iPhone." That is when I realized that Haiku Deck currently has limited functionality for iPhones. You can view decks but you cannot create or edit them on iPhones. Supposedly this ability is coming soon, but in the mean time if you try to click on the "+" to create a new deck, you are offered email links for the web version of Haiku Deck or a link to the iPad version of the app. I don't have an iPad, so I had to check it out online. For anyone familiar with Microsoft PowerPoint, Prezi, or any other slide-based presentation application its easy enough to use, even without a demo or tutorial. One really slick feature is the image search box. Pop in a search term, "beach" for example, and up pop a bunch of beach photos you can use in your presentation (of course you can also upload your own photos). Supposedly (hopefully) the images are all free, Creative Commons licensed images (more info here: https://haikudeck.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/202231193-Free-Images-Licensing-and-Commercial-Use), which is a GREAT feature. And, if you've typed some text onto a slide it might automatically find relevant images for you. For example, I created a slide that had the text "What about libraries?" on it, then clicked on the images button and it automatically searched for 'libraries' images for me! Neat! In my honest opinion (and in my limited user experience since I cannot use my phone to edit/create decks), that is the app's coolest feature. Overall, it was very easy to use and a fun alternative to the more commonplace PPT or Prezi. I will definitely keep this in mind next time I have a presentation, and hope for continued updates that bring more functionality to the iPhone app.
Deck Slideshow Presentations-This app does actually allow users to create and edit slideshows on their iPhones. It is simpler, doesn't require an account, and has no tutorial or anything upon start up. Its focus is on 'Twitter-like brevity" (from the Sample Deck that comes pre-loaded on the app)-it actually limits the number of characters each part of a presentation can have. This is great-many people put WAY too much text on their slides, then simply read the text...BORING. This app might help eliminate that problem. The app itself has a selection of 'professionally designed' themes-you choose the one you want, punch in your text and data, and you're good to go! Some (like Paper Planes) are fun, but could get old fast (imagine orange and grey paper planes unfolding and refolding, and flying across the screen to reveal your text...cool right? Only for so long, and only ONCE. Show the same group of people that same theme again and it loses its cool factor-in my opinion!). Anyway, most the themes are pretty nice and creating a deck is pretty simple-there is a very clean, easy to follow layout in the creation phase. There is also an option to create and input your own charts and graphs-Probably not ideal if you have a lot of data, but easy enough to use. Overall, this is a great app! Easy to use, really fast, and worth a download if you're looking for something fresh (note-you will have an ad message at the end of your presentations-"Effortlessly create unique presentations with Deck at deck.com" or something along those lines).
I haven't had to do a presentation that required a slideshow or anything of that nature for at least a year (when I finished grad school), but believe it or not-with these apps I'm sort of excited for the next opportunity to come up! Cheers!
Haiku Deck-Right after opening the app for the first time, there is a brief presentation about Haiku Deck (promotional more than informational). Then, as with anything else these days, you have to create an account to get started. Once you've done that, you'll see your "decks" (presentations). At this point, there is just one-"Meet Haiku Deck for iPhone." That is when I realized that Haiku Deck currently has limited functionality for iPhones. You can view decks but you cannot create or edit them on iPhones. Supposedly this ability is coming soon, but in the mean time if you try to click on the "+" to create a new deck, you are offered email links for the web version of Haiku Deck or a link to the iPad version of the app. I don't have an iPad, so I had to check it out online. For anyone familiar with Microsoft PowerPoint, Prezi, or any other slide-based presentation application its easy enough to use, even without a demo or tutorial. One really slick feature is the image search box. Pop in a search term, "beach" for example, and up pop a bunch of beach photos you can use in your presentation (of course you can also upload your own photos). Supposedly (hopefully) the images are all free, Creative Commons licensed images (more info here: https://haikudeck.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/202231193-Free-Images-Licensing-and-Commercial-Use), which is a GREAT feature. And, if you've typed some text onto a slide it might automatically find relevant images for you. For example, I created a slide that had the text "What about libraries?" on it, then clicked on the images button and it automatically searched for 'libraries' images for me! Neat! In my honest opinion (and in my limited user experience since I cannot use my phone to edit/create decks), that is the app's coolest feature. Overall, it was very easy to use and a fun alternative to the more commonplace PPT or Prezi. I will definitely keep this in mind next time I have a presentation, and hope for continued updates that bring more functionality to the iPhone app.
Deck Slideshow Presentations-This app does actually allow users to create and edit slideshows on their iPhones. It is simpler, doesn't require an account, and has no tutorial or anything upon start up. Its focus is on 'Twitter-like brevity" (from the Sample Deck that comes pre-loaded on the app)-it actually limits the number of characters each part of a presentation can have. This is great-many people put WAY too much text on their slides, then simply read the text...BORING. This app might help eliminate that problem. The app itself has a selection of 'professionally designed' themes-you choose the one you want, punch in your text and data, and you're good to go! Some (like Paper Planes) are fun, but could get old fast (imagine orange and grey paper planes unfolding and refolding, and flying across the screen to reveal your text...cool right? Only for so long, and only ONCE. Show the same group of people that same theme again and it loses its cool factor-in my opinion!). Anyway, most the themes are pretty nice and creating a deck is pretty simple-there is a very clean, easy to follow layout in the creation phase. There is also an option to create and input your own charts and graphs-Probably not ideal if you have a lot of data, but easy enough to use. Overall, this is a great app! Easy to use, really fast, and worth a download if you're looking for something fresh (note-you will have an ad message at the end of your presentations-"Effortlessly create unique presentations with Deck at deck.com" or something along those lines).
I haven't had to do a presentation that required a slideshow or anything of that nature for at least a year (when I finished grad school), but believe it or not-with these apps I'm sort of excited for the next opportunity to come up! Cheers!
Thing 12-Books, Books and MORE BOOKS!
Whew-its been a while but I'm back! Feeling refreshed after a long weekend and ready to finally type up my next blog post :) This time we tackle the arguable "meat and potatoes" of librarianship-books!
When I got my first iPhone about five years ago one of the first apps I downloaded was Free Books (available for Apple and Android). However, I didn't use it much. It provides access to thousands of eBooks, mainly public domain titles, but I quickly found that I just don't like reading eBooks on my iPhone screen-its just too little! So, after a few attempts, I eventually just deleted the app. In the future, if I get an iPad, I would almost certainly download it again, as it was an easy to use app and who doesn't love free books!
On a related note, for this Thing I also downloaded Audiobooks (Apple and Android). Audiobooks is pretty much the audio version of Free Books-Thousands of (mostly) public domain books in audio version! The app itself is great-books are listed by title, author, genre, popularity, even narrator (which I really like-I'm kind of picky about my narrators and when I find a good narrator I want to listen to everything they've done! This saves me a lot of steps of looking them up online, finding the titles they've recorded, then searching through the app for those titles). The app remembers where you are in a book and automatically resumes when you close and re-open the app. The main downfall is that (at least for the free version) you cannot download audiobooks-you can only stream them! This stinks for a few reasons. I have about a 30 mile commute to work-PERFECT for audiobooks, but not if I've got to stream them (I have very little data on my phone plan, since I typically have wifi access, and those overages are STEEP!). So unless I'm at home, its not very practical. Also, even if I am at home, I get nervous. I was out doing yard work and listening to some Dickens and kept checking my phone to make sure I was still in wifi range! But, I'll definitely keep the app as it did seem to have (based on the handful of titles I tried) good quality recordings, and sometimes I just feel like being read to rather than reading!
I'm not sure I'd really recommend either of these apps to patrons, due to their limitations. (Also, I still get a lot of patrons that don't have at home wireless internet, so streaming is more or less out). I suppose if they were tech savvy and particularly interested in something other than our own eBook/eAudiobook collections, I might mention these apps. I would certainly promote our collections before promoting either of the apps I used here, but they might be a good second option for someone looking for more.
When I got my first iPhone about five years ago one of the first apps I downloaded was Free Books (available for Apple and Android). However, I didn't use it much. It provides access to thousands of eBooks, mainly public domain titles, but I quickly found that I just don't like reading eBooks on my iPhone screen-its just too little! So, after a few attempts, I eventually just deleted the app. In the future, if I get an iPad, I would almost certainly download it again, as it was an easy to use app and who doesn't love free books!
On a related note, for this Thing I also downloaded Audiobooks (Apple and Android). Audiobooks is pretty much the audio version of Free Books-Thousands of (mostly) public domain books in audio version! The app itself is great-books are listed by title, author, genre, popularity, even narrator (which I really like-I'm kind of picky about my narrators and when I find a good narrator I want to listen to everything they've done! This saves me a lot of steps of looking them up online, finding the titles they've recorded, then searching through the app for those titles). The app remembers where you are in a book and automatically resumes when you close and re-open the app. The main downfall is that (at least for the free version) you cannot download audiobooks-you can only stream them! This stinks for a few reasons. I have about a 30 mile commute to work-PERFECT for audiobooks, but not if I've got to stream them (I have very little data on my phone plan, since I typically have wifi access, and those overages are STEEP!). So unless I'm at home, its not very practical. Also, even if I am at home, I get nervous. I was out doing yard work and listening to some Dickens and kept checking my phone to make sure I was still in wifi range! But, I'll definitely keep the app as it did seem to have (based on the handful of titles I tried) good quality recordings, and sometimes I just feel like being read to rather than reading!
I'm not sure I'd really recommend either of these apps to patrons, due to their limitations. (Also, I still get a lot of patrons that don't have at home wireless internet, so streaming is more or less out). I suppose if they were tech savvy and particularly interested in something other than our own eBook/eAudiobook collections, I might mention these apps. I would certainly promote our collections before promoting either of the apps I used here, but they might be a good second option for someone looking for more.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Thing 11-Library & Reference
This Thing mainly covers library mobile apps! I work for Anoka County Libraries and it is also my home library system, so I downloaded the ACL app for this Thing. Curiously, I didn't have the app before (if, for example, I needed to renew something I would use the link in the reminder email and it would open my account in my internet browser on my phone. I guess I didn't realize there was an app, or feel a great need to look for one). I did check out the reviews before downloading, and the main complaint I saw was that although it was a great app it was too slow. Always good to keep an eye out on what the users think of our products...
Upon downloading I did a few different things-placed some holds, looked things up in the catalog, some of the more common things patrons might use the app for. Interestingly, I was unable to renew materials using the app. I tried several titles that all were eligible for renewal and yet none would renew. We have had prior sporadic reports of the renewal feature not working on the app; I guess I caught it at a bad time! This does highlight a major problem with the app though-there was no error message to indicate my items DID NOT renew, I had to re-examine my account to determine they had not renewed on my own. Some patrons may not take this step and simply assume their items were renewed-this could of course lead to confusion, late fees, and upset patrons. Hopefully a permanent solution (or at least an error message of sorts!) can be found/created.
Anyway, back to the good! The ISBN lookup feature is really slick. It allows you to scan the barcode of a book and will then search the catalog automatically for that title! Handy for when you see a book of interest but wouldn't want to purchase the title yourself- just scan and request (provided ACL has a copy in its holdings-it doesn't let you request ILL using the scan feature). I also really like the Library Locator feature. It pulls data from your phone's GPS to determine how far you are from each of the ACL branches and can generate driving directions via Google Maps. Great feature, and it could very likely come in handy when patrons travel to and from branches to pick up materials (some prefer to pick them up themselves rather than have them delivered for various reasons).
I will agree with the reviewers about the app's speed. It is slow moving between screens and a speed boost could greatly improve the app's overall usability and the user experience with the app. Overall, though, it is a good app and easy enough to navigate. I would definitely recommended it to our patrons!
I also work at a small private academic library. As of yet, there is no app for the library. We do, however, (much like ELM, the Electronic Library for Minnesota) have a responsive webpage that automatically re-sizes itself to fit to whatever screen size you are using. Granted, that is pretty much the standard with web design these days, but its better than nothing at all!
Next time, we move onto what some would consider the meat and potatoes of libraries-Books, Books, and MORE BOOKS! Stay tuned :)
Upon downloading I did a few different things-placed some holds, looked things up in the catalog, some of the more common things patrons might use the app for. Interestingly, I was unable to renew materials using the app. I tried several titles that all were eligible for renewal and yet none would renew. We have had prior sporadic reports of the renewal feature not working on the app; I guess I caught it at a bad time! This does highlight a major problem with the app though-there was no error message to indicate my items DID NOT renew, I had to re-examine my account to determine they had not renewed on my own. Some patrons may not take this step and simply assume their items were renewed-this could of course lead to confusion, late fees, and upset patrons. Hopefully a permanent solution (or at least an error message of sorts!) can be found/created.
Anyway, back to the good! The ISBN lookup feature is really slick. It allows you to scan the barcode of a book and will then search the catalog automatically for that title! Handy for when you see a book of interest but wouldn't want to purchase the title yourself- just scan and request (provided ACL has a copy in its holdings-it doesn't let you request ILL using the scan feature). I also really like the Library Locator feature. It pulls data from your phone's GPS to determine how far you are from each of the ACL branches and can generate driving directions via Google Maps. Great feature, and it could very likely come in handy when patrons travel to and from branches to pick up materials (some prefer to pick them up themselves rather than have them delivered for various reasons).
I will agree with the reviewers about the app's speed. It is slow moving between screens and a speed boost could greatly improve the app's overall usability and the user experience with the app. Overall, though, it is a good app and easy enough to navigate. I would definitely recommended it to our patrons!
I also work at a small private academic library. As of yet, there is no app for the library. We do, however, (much like ELM, the Electronic Library for Minnesota) have a responsive webpage that automatically re-sizes itself to fit to whatever screen size you are using. Granted, that is pretty much the standard with web design these days, but its better than nothing at all!
Next time, we move onto what some would consider the meat and potatoes of libraries-Books, Books, and MORE BOOKS! Stay tuned :)
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Thing 10-Sharing Photos!
Hi all! Now that we've mastered taking and editing photos, its time to share them! For this Thing I initially decided to try out both photo sharing apps-Instagram and Snapchat. However, once I created a Snapchat and logged in, it seemed like very few of my contacts actually use Snapchat, so I didn't really have anyone to chat with. I will say, though, that the account creating and log in was very easy, and it seemed the the photo taking and sharing screen was also user-friendly and easy to figure out. I would try Snapchat in the future if more of my friends and contacts started using it.
I did, however, have good luck with Instagram! I logged in using my Facebook account, and that instantly showed me a list of Facebook friends who had Instagram whom I could follow (and who may follow me). I got logged in, followed some set-up steps of finding Facebook friends to follow, and was ready to go in a matter of minutes. I was pleased with the app's photo editing options (mainly filters, though there are a few more options). Even though I just downloaded all those fancy new cameras and editing apps for our last Thing, I found myself just using the default Instagram options just as frequently, and being pretty much just as pleased with the results.
Overall Instagram was very intuitive and easy to get started posting photos, liking other people's photos, and following people. I have a mix of friends and friend/professional acquaintances amongst my followers, and we all seem to share both work and non-work related photos. Right of the bat I can see Instagram being great for sharing ideas at conferences, from programs at libraries, of storytimes or crafts, and much more with librarian followers. From that standpoint, this app makes more sense to me for professional use-Snapchats disappear after so much time has elapsed (unless you snap a screen shot)-Instagram, however, seems more permanent, especially since hashtags are often used and can be searched. Granted, I didn't get to Snapchat, so perhaps I'm missing something there...
In any case, if I were ever to use Instagram heavily for work I would probably consider creating a second account, much like I would do for Pinterest. I'm sure my friends don't mind some library related pics, and my librarian friends don't mind some dog/cat/running shoe/food pics, but too much of one or the other may be a turn off. So, a possible separation of sorts may come into play at some point, but for now I'm just having fun snapping and sharing pictures with my followers!
Stayed tuned-next time we are shifting gears and moving on to Library and Reference related Things!
I did, however, have good luck with Instagram! I logged in using my Facebook account, and that instantly showed me a list of Facebook friends who had Instagram whom I could follow (and who may follow me). I got logged in, followed some set-up steps of finding Facebook friends to follow, and was ready to go in a matter of minutes. I was pleased with the app's photo editing options (mainly filters, though there are a few more options). Even though I just downloaded all those fancy new cameras and editing apps for our last Thing, I found myself just using the default Instagram options just as frequently, and being pretty much just as pleased with the results.
Overall Instagram was very intuitive and easy to get started posting photos, liking other people's photos, and following people. I have a mix of friends and friend/professional acquaintances amongst my followers, and we all seem to share both work and non-work related photos. Right of the bat I can see Instagram being great for sharing ideas at conferences, from programs at libraries, of storytimes or crafts, and much more with librarian followers. From that standpoint, this app makes more sense to me for professional use-Snapchats disappear after so much time has elapsed (unless you snap a screen shot)-Instagram, however, seems more permanent, especially since hashtags are often used and can be searched. Granted, I didn't get to Snapchat, so perhaps I'm missing something there...
In any case, if I were ever to use Instagram heavily for work I would probably consider creating a second account, much like I would do for Pinterest. I'm sure my friends don't mind some library related pics, and my librarian friends don't mind some dog/cat/running shoe/food pics, but too much of one or the other may be a turn off. So, a possible separation of sorts may come into play at some point, but for now I'm just having fun snapping and sharing pictures with my followers!
Stayed tuned-next time we are shifting gears and moving on to Library and Reference related Things!
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Thing 9- Taking & Editing Photos!
This is a Thing I have really been looking forward to! I have an iPhone, and they have pretty good cameras, considering its a cell phones, but I've been told that to really make the most of your photos you need to make use of apps. Despite this, I haven't really tried any, so this Thing gives me the perfect excuse to download and play away! I'm not currently in a position where I would use my photos for any sort of marketing for my libraries, but you never know when that may change. I initially decided to download and try three apps for this one-CamMe, Color Splurge, and LINE Camera. CamMe is available for Apple only while the other two are available for Apple and Android.
I tried LINE Camera first, but wasn't impressed. It looked like an app geared for children, and I'm not huge into the idea of adding bright text and frames to my pictures. So, I instead asked a budding photographer friend which camera app she uses on her iPhone, and she recommended Camera Awesome (available for Apple and Android). I downloaded that one and preferred it. It feels more grown up, and although there is no in-app tutorial upon start-up (as there so often is these days), it was easy to figure out. It offers filters, preset image-improving options, textures, cropping, and its "Awesomize" feature, which automatically adjusts images for you and takes the guess work out of adjusting all the levels individually. For me, it was just easier to figure out and use than LINE Camera.
Color Splurge, though not an app I'll use terribly frequently, was fun and easy to use and one that I'll definitely keep around. It allows you to make a photo gray-scale and then go back and colorize just the bits you want to pop! The app includes a getting started video, which surprising seemed to have no audio, but gets the job done regardless. I was able to watch the video, select, edit, and post my first photo to Instagram (from right within the Color Splurge app) in less than ten minutes. For the record, it was a shot of my friend and I running the Get Lucky 7k-wearing neon tutus! It turned out pretty neat! I'd always wondered how people did this in Photoshop, so I'm happy to have an app that replicates the effect easily! The other main feature is a re-coloring option (change reds to blues, for instant), but it looked too off and fake to me, I'll stick with the main feature of the app.
I also got CamMe, because who doesn't love a good selfie!? This app also begins with a quick video how-to that shows a young lady taking pictures of herself in the dressing room while trying on dresses. After the video shows you how the app works, you're off and running taking selfies! Its incredibly easy to use, and this app would be especially useful for taking group shots-simply wave rather than trying to figure out who has the longest arms/best angle to try to fit everyone into the frame (think Ellen at the Oscars...). The main problem I had was finding a stable surface that was at the appropriate height and getting my phone to stand on its own/finding things to prop it up with (although I do believe they make cases that work as stands as well).
Overall, a very fun Thing to play with! And-keep your eyes peeled for my post on the next Thing (number 10!), which will be following this post in the next day or two. Now that I've got all these great photos, its time to share them!
I tried LINE Camera first, but wasn't impressed. It looked like an app geared for children, and I'm not huge into the idea of adding bright text and frames to my pictures. So, I instead asked a budding photographer friend which camera app she uses on her iPhone, and she recommended Camera Awesome (available for Apple and Android). I downloaded that one and preferred it. It feels more grown up, and although there is no in-app tutorial upon start-up (as there so often is these days), it was easy to figure out. It offers filters, preset image-improving options, textures, cropping, and its "Awesomize" feature, which automatically adjusts images for you and takes the guess work out of adjusting all the levels individually. For me, it was just easier to figure out and use than LINE Camera.
Color Splurge, though not an app I'll use terribly frequently, was fun and easy to use and one that I'll definitely keep around. It allows you to make a photo gray-scale and then go back and colorize just the bits you want to pop! The app includes a getting started video, which surprising seemed to have no audio, but gets the job done regardless. I was able to watch the video, select, edit, and post my first photo to Instagram (from right within the Color Splurge app) in less than ten minutes. For the record, it was a shot of my friend and I running the Get Lucky 7k-wearing neon tutus! It turned out pretty neat! I'd always wondered how people did this in Photoshop, so I'm happy to have an app that replicates the effect easily! The other main feature is a re-coloring option (change reds to blues, for instant), but it looked too off and fake to me, I'll stick with the main feature of the app.
I also got CamMe, because who doesn't love a good selfie!? This app also begins with a quick video how-to that shows a young lady taking pictures of herself in the dressing room while trying on dresses. After the video shows you how the app works, you're off and running taking selfies! Its incredibly easy to use, and this app would be especially useful for taking group shots-simply wave rather than trying to figure out who has the longest arms/best angle to try to fit everyone into the frame (think Ellen at the Oscars...). The main problem I had was finding a stable surface that was at the appropriate height and getting my phone to stand on its own/finding things to prop it up with (although I do believe they make cases that work as stands as well).
Overall, a very fun Thing to play with! And-keep your eyes peeled for my post on the next Thing (number 10!), which will be following this post in the next day or two. Now that I've got all these great photos, its time to share them!
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