Thing 9

Thing 9 - PHOTOS.

Since I'm feeling a bit stressed about "goings on" in my life as a library student right now, let's cut right to the chase.  I did not like any of the "proposed apps" for this Thing.  I just could not get in to any of them.  I have a hard enough time deciding what kind of filter to use when I remember to use Instagram.

BUT...I have two apps to offer up as alternatives for Thing 9.  App One happens to be the ONLY app I have discovered, downloaded and USED from the AppsGoneFree app.  The app is called Poetics. Basically, this is an app in which you take photos OR use photos from your device and add "magnetic poetry" to your photo.

This is a screenshot of the app:

As you can see, there are many editing options for the photo, similar to other photo editing apps.

This is (hopefully) a link to my completed Poetics photo in Instagram - because DESPITE my learning through 23 Mobile Things, I can't get my own picture off Instagram at the time of this blog post.  Grrr.

Poetics Photo

This is a "fun" app that incorporates photo editing.  I can see a market for the tweeny/teenies and also those who THINK they might want to scrapbook but have no time, patience, or inclination (me).  I think this app would be really fun for book advertising; like one sentence or five words to describe a book (preferably new books) and post the photos on your library "Internet site", whether the website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Flickr, whatever.
Poetics is not always free.  It was free during the promotion from AppsGoneFree.

The second app I tried for this Thing is thanks to my 7 year old nephew.  He recommended Pic Collage when he and his sister were asking what all the apps were on my Touch.  Apparently they use this app on their iPads at school - my niece and nephew attend a 1 to 1 school, except they are young, so their devices stay at school.  I would say this is more of a traditional picture collage app.  I only played a bit with this one, but I gave access to my photos, chose three, and made a quick photo collage of my daughter.  In some ways, it is like a scrapbook, infographic, poster app.  You can make a basic "photo collage" (think a Christmas Card photo collage) or use pre-made "posters" (think Pinterest inspirational pins) and add your own embellishments.  I haven't figured out exactly what to DO with this app yet.  Maybe this is how pinners make such pretty pins on Pinterest - I don't know.  BUT, students are using this app in school for something.  At least my niece and nephew are; with their iPads.  At school.  And at home with their iPods.

This is an example of a Pic Collage (the pretty kind).  This is not my OWN creation - mine was not pretty like these.

Pic Collage IS free, but there are in-app purchases available.  This would be something that would need to be addressed in a school environment or if the library was using "library owned devices" with this app.

Thing 12

Thing 12 is all about Books.  Oh how I wanted to LOVE this Thing.  Instead I ended up irritated and borderline angry.

For Thing 12, I tried the YALSA Teen Book Finder.

First, let me say that I really like YALSA as a resource for content - book lists, ideas, programming, etc.  However, they are really not good at presenting their content in a usable digital 21 Century format.  They are REALLY NOT GOOD at this and the YALSA Teen Book Finder is just another symptom of this epidemic.

Let's start with the features I liked:  I like that when you open the app, there are Hot Picks.  I like that you can "favorite" books and save them.  I like that you can "share" books through Facebook or Twitter.  And I like the ILLUSION that you can find the book you are looking at through the app.

What I didn't like:  The "find" feature really killed this app for me.  Let's say I am trying to locate Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.  I know that my local library has this book - I have shelved it with my own hands.  This is a screen shot of the Book Finder App from my iPhone:

I live where the red dot is located.  According to the YALSA Teen Book Finder, I need to drive an hour to find a copy of this book, when I KNOW this is clearly false advertising.  I was SO disgusted.  I understand that there must be some algorithm or system for YALSA deciding which libraries to cull from.  But honestly.  Eau Claire is the "seat" or headquarters of the library consortium that I use.  Eau Claire isn't even pegged on the map.  AGH!!!

Maybe this app works great in Chicago, New York City, or Texas but it sure isn't worth a hill of beans here. There are better products for making lists for reading or sharing what you are reading.  Isn't Facebook a dying application for teens?  What about Flickr or Tumbler or Pinterest??  

I know the app is pretty new - OK.  I guess it isn't that new.  Looks like the app was first "published" in 2012.  I was going to give them the benefit of the doubt, with the push and advertising of the app happening last summer (2013).  Maybe I am misunderstanding the purpose for the app:  an app for ADULTS looking for teen books?

Although this is not directly related to the app, I think this permeation highlights what I see as the main dysfunction with YALSA.  They create great lists, great programming, great ideas for getting teens involved in the library but they put no effort into creating an IT infrastructure that is searchable or usable to anyone under 30.  None of their award lists are "searchable" or manipulable.  If you use the search bar to find, say I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga, the site will return search results but you still have to search through the list to find what you are looking for.  This is so frustrating to me.  Once again, maybe I am missing the point of YALSA - teen content for ADULTS that have time to sort through lists and lists and blogs and blogs?

OK.  Enough ranting.  I think the YALSA Teen Book Finder has promise; with a serious upgrade and many more features, or at least using WorldCat or a better search algorithm to allow users to actually SEE what libraries have the book you are searching for.  And someone needs to work on getting the YALSA site to work like a 21 Century website.

Thing 11

Unlike most other bloggers for 23 Mobile Things, I do not live in the Seven County Metro and I do not have a MELSA library card.  So, I chose to look at the apps that the library I normally use offers for its patrons - Overdrive and Freading.  I use a Wisconsin public library as my primary library; I am "bucking the instructions" for this blog and am writing about the two "book" apps that my library offers through it's consortium instead.

Overdrive is probably a familiar app to anyone and everyone who might read or stumble across this blog. I've been using the Overdrive app probably since 2010 (through the bad and the good).  I am not a huge fan of the e-book on my iDevices (too small a screen), but have used the app pretty extensively for ebooks, from when there was a glitch and you could "have" the e-book on your iPod forever to the current version.  Overdrive's search function isn't fabulous for new discovery of content but it works well if you know what you are looking for.  The new versions of the app have really improved the user experience in terms of item delivery (no more downloading to Adobe and then transferring to your device).  I would recommend this app to patrons for any device they may own.  One caveat - I have not had the opportunity to use the 3M Cloud, so I cannot compare content or experience.

The second app, or my "new app" is Freading.  Freading is a sister site to Freegal, a music service.  In my case, one of the Eau Claire libraries subscribes to this service, so libraries in the consortium have access to the service.  Freading is a "pay as you use" model, with patrons receiving tokens they can use to check out books, token amount depends on the content.  From what I understand, the consortium pays for usage of the content.  Unlike Overdrive, the content is always available for checkout.  But, none of the Big 6 publishers are taking part in the service at this time.

Turning to the app, frankly, I think the app sucks.  The only part of the process, from discovery to checkout, to reading that is available through the app is reading.  All searching, selection and checkout needs to be done through a web browser (which is not mobile compatible).  Then, during checkout, you are allowed to choose Overdrive OR Freading as a reading app for the content.  The app does not offer as many options as Overdrive.  The only options for the reader are a Table of Contents and text size - no bookmarks, no highlighting, no search, no options.

At this time, I would not recommend the Freading app to anyone, unless it was a librarian or an app developer working on ideas to help improve the app.  As far as Freading content goes, I am not overly impressed yet.  But the option to choose free e-books from the library beyond Overdrive is a good option for the user.  I will be checking back on this service and it's app as time goes on.

Thing 22

Thing 22 or Discovering Apps

Time for another "honest blog" - I was not excited about this "thing".  Due to the nature of being a student at St. Kate's, I feel like I am already being deluged with e-content, app or otherwise.  I've also tried to shy away from actively seeking new apps.  Perhaps I can explain this better below.

For this app, I looked at Apps Gone Free.  There is nothing "wrong" with this app.  I like it "OK".  The synopsis of apps is adequate; it seems like the steps from viewing the app to the App Store is seamless.  But the reality is that I already have more apps than I use and when I am currently seeking out apps, they are for something specific (like a class application).  I may come back to this app in the future, but right now this app is just "too much" for me.  Then again, I do have the push notification activated (for purposes of this blog).  Maybe I would not feel so pressured if I turned off the push notification :).  Although it is not for me, I would recommend this app for a person trying to maximize their Apple experience - especially those people that have or take the time to look at "new" apps on a regular basis.

There is another product that I have used since 2010 for app discovery, although I have used it exclusively as a webpage.  Free App a Day, currently run by AppxChange, was my "go to" source.  For a while, I received daily e-mails listing the free app of the day.  Before my daughter became mobile (and before graduate school), I was more diligent with the webpage and the e-mails I received from the page.  Several of my "old school" apps, including Sunday Lawn were apps promoted on this site.  I used this resource to "try things" for myself and my niece and nephew before purchase.  I like the e-mail "push" system.  Then I feel like I can look now or look later.  If I clear the push notification on the Apps Gone Free, I never go back to look when I have time (unless I open the app by accident).  With an e-mail, it is on "my time".  There is a FreeAppADay app, but I have not tried it.  I cannot speak to the usability of the website these days, but I have used it extensively in the past and would visit it again, once I find myself ready to embark on "new app discovery".

Thing 17

Thing 17 or Connecting to Community.

There were several apps offered up for suggestions on the 23 Mobile Things Website from different regions of the state.

I tried one "new to me" app and will comment on another app on the list I am familiar with.

For the "new to me" app, I tried UpNorth Explorer.  To be honest, I am to the point in the semester where I needed something that "I knew something about" and wasn't starting from scratch.  I lived in Duluth for nine years and my husband grew up in Superior, WI (and there is a family cabin by Solon Springs, WI in the mix).  I fully acknowledge that "up north" is a big area, but I felt this familiarity with a section of what people classify as "north" would give me an advantage vetting this app.

Honestly, I thought UpNorth Explorer was awful.  It seems like the app is trying to cover everything from Walker to Canada to Hayward Wisconsin - and supplying very little information in the process.  There were very few restaurants and very few lodging options listed.  The big areas of "up north" - Brainerd, Duluth, the North Shore, Bemidji were not even listed in lodging.  These are "heavy hitter" tourist places and they were completely ignored by this app.  I will give the app credit for having a small smattering of current events dispersed among the region - but still too large and area with too little content.  I haven't figured out how locations are featured with this app - pay for content maybe?  I would not recommend this app to anyone ever.  I would rather they struggled with a non-mobile version of Explore Minnesota or Visit Duluth on a smartphone - anything would be better than this app.

On to the second app on the list.  Another confession - I have not actually used this app on location due to spotty wifi service and no smart phone at the time, but I spent a few hours playing with this app when it first came out last summer.  I am speaking of the Minnesota State Fair app.  My favorite feature is the Food Finder.  I am what I would consider a "dedicated" fair goer.  With the exception of a few years in my 20's, I have been to the State Fair at least one time a year most years of my life - I am 38, so I would wager at least 34 visits so far.  I mention this because I have a pretty good sense of where things are, where they were, and where things "should be".  Back to the Food Finder - finding and REMEMBERING the new foods each year seems to get harder and harder for me to remember.  As I said, I haven't actually used the app at the fair (yet), but finding the new food, or seeing the new foods per location will be a big boon my fair experience.  There is also a handy map for those who are not as familiar with the fairgrounds as myself.  I will definitely be using this app in the future and would recommend it to anyone that is visiting the fair with a smart phone - well anyone that likes to plan and not experience the fair "organically" or "spontaneously".

One tip I have that has nothing to do with the app, but everything to do with the fairgrounds.  Visit the fairgrounds when the fair is not happening.  It is much easier to "see" and understand the layout when A. you can drive on the roads and B. when you are not trying to take everything in at once.

Thing 13

Thing 13 or "Presentations" was a tough Thing for me to work through.  Why?  Because I am not doing my 23 Mobile Things on a TABLET!!!  I really wanted to try Educreations but it is ONLY available for the iPad.  I tried Haiku Deck, but at this time, you can only create on an iPad.  I did create a short presentation on Deck, but it would have been so much better if I had been on a tablet.

OK.  Now that I ranted about not having a tablet to try this Thing, on to my experiences with the apps.

As I said above, I was not able to try Educreations.  It looked like it was going to be so cool...

After my first experience (trying to download Educreations), I was excited that I could download Haiku Deck to my phone.  My excitement was very short-lived - at this time, one can only VIEW presentations, not create them on an iPhone.  The app assures me this feature is coming sometime in the near future.  I did have the opportunity to try Haiku Deck on a borrowed iPad.  The library I am doing my practicum at has an iPad that belongs to the library and I was given permission to download Haiku Deck and try it.  It was so fun!  I liked the clean simplicity of the presentation, the ability to drill down into images that fit with my pretend topic.  I can see myself using this app again.  However, due to my limited access to the app, I am unsure if Haiku Deck is best for every presentation application.  I wasn't able to explore more deeply - can you add your own images?  your own tables and charts?  This is an app I will keep on my radar for when I have a tablet at my disposal.

My third choice for Thing 13 was Deck.  Surprisingly, I feel that this app has the most promise in my life at the time of this blog.  Deck really is like a streamlined automated PowerPoint presentation.  I created a pretend presentation on my Touch with this app.  I liked the simple interface - tap on a "bar", type your information, move to the next bar...select a theme, and preview.  I used the paper airplane theme, which added "animation" without me going through the trouble of learning how to "animate" the presentation through keystrokes or another program.  This app would work equally as well as Haiku Deck for certain presentations.  My concern, which I was not able to answer on the Touch, was "how does one import charts, pictures, or other media?".  Maybe this is a feature that is not available on the Touch but is available on the iPad.  I can see myself using this app in the future.

Like other Things, and I'm sure most of Things I have left to explore, the nature of the device is beginning to color my experience with 23 Mobile Things.  For these suggested apps, an iPad was an apple and my Touch was an Ugly-fruit.