Things 8 & 9: Google Calendar and Evernote

Much of what is covered in this week's things can be done in Microsoft Outlook - there's a calendar there and a taskbar which does similar things to Evernote. I've saved Google Calendar to my iGoogle page and saved the Evvernote Web Clipper to my browser, so we'll see if it comes in handy. I imagine Evernote will be quite useful when I start library school.

Things 6 and 7: Online networking, face-to-face networking and professional organisations

I joined LISNPN a few months ago and I've found the downloadable resources section particularly helpful. I'm thinking about joining CILIP when I start my library qualification, which will also give me more access to CILIP Communities. I read about the Library Society of the World with interest and I am planning to read Devora Zack's Networking For People Who Hate Networking book because I think it would be helpful.

I'm on Facebook, but I think I will prefer to use LinkedIn for professional networking and this week's Thing will help me rewrite my page according to the best practice.

Thing 5: Reflective Practice

I feel like I've only just got going, but here is my reflection on CPD23 so far:

I have returned to my blog and to Twitter. I have read some other blogs and expanded my collection on Google Reader. I have googled my name to see how I am reflected on the internet.
I've enjoyed reading other people's blogs and I am still getting to grips with Twitter. I am going to read in greater depth and try more things out to extend my knowledge and continue learning.

Thing 4: Current Awareness - Twitter, RSS and Pushnote

I have found RSS feeds very useful for a little while - it's very helpful and saves a lot of time to be able to view the blogs you are following on one page. I use Google Reader and I have extended my collection having completed this Thing.

I have also returned to Twitter and followed a few more people. Hopefully I will now be able to get used to using Twitter and then I will look into using Pushnote.

Thing 3: Consider Your Personal Brand

OK so, as instructed, I googled my name. Luckily this was quite a straightforward exercise for me as I have quite an unusual name.

The first result that came up was my entry on the Oxford graduate trainee blog from last year, where I introduced myself. This is obviously out of date, as I am no longer there. However the entry is proof of my traineeship if anyone wanted to check in the future.

The second entry was a farmers forum discussing whether or not it was safe to burn laurel (as in the leaves). Suffice to say that does not reflect me personally!

The third was 192.com which gives address details taken from the electoral roll. This was a surprise to me as I didn't realise personal details were so easily accessible online.

After another entry discussing whether or not it was safe to burn laurel prunings were my project presentation and handout from the spreadsheet project I undertook during my traineeship at Oxford, followed by my Facebook page.

I realised this blog did not appear, so I altered the settings so that it will now appear in Google.

Thing 2: Investigate Some Other Blogs

There are so many people doing the CPD 23 things course! In fact, so many that it was almost quite overwhelming to select ones to read. My eyes were drawn to the ones with interesting titles, like Library Wanderer, Meandering the Bookshelves, Eliterate Librarian and Random musings of a librarian, almost.

CPD 23 Things 2011

I am doing the CP 23 things course to build on the 23 things course I did last year in Oxford. This blog continues from the one I made for the course last year. I learnt a lot about Web 2 from the course last year and I'm hoping this course will make me more proficient.

I'm particularly looking forward to the sessions on Online Presence and Twitter, as I still need to work out how to use Twitter. I'm also interested in the sessions on Librarianship Training Options and Careers.