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Friday, May 18. 2007
Michael Stephens and my Word Count Tally
As promised to Mike, I kept a running tally of the number of times I heard Michael say the word "Hot". Seemingly this word had been popularized within his presentations, but that time seems to have since passed, as you can see from the stats below. However, whilst listening to Michael speak, I did notice a different word that was much more prominent (though definitely helpful during the presentation to emphasize points). I also tracked a different, never oft-used word.
"Hot": 5
"Yay": 18
"Kerfuffle": 2
Kerfuffle?! Ha! Neat.
In context (I think): "Without first learning how to use the (blank) before releasing it to the hounds, it caused an unnecessary kerfuffle." ...he so much more eloquently used this interesting word. I don't think I quite captured its spirit.
"Hot": 5
"Yay": 18
"Kerfuffle": 2
Kerfuffle?! Ha! Neat.
In context (I think): "Without first learning how to use the (blank) before releasing it to the hounds, it caused an unnecessary kerfuffle." ...he so much more eloquently used this interesting word. I don't think I quite captured its spirit.
Regardless of my silly tally above, the presentation was definitely motivational, as I had hoped -- it also reminded me of certain things that I had thought of implementing and completely forgot about, gave me a renewed perspective on a few things, and even think outside the box on a few other marketing gimmicks*.
Had I not attended the presentation with my programmatically-skilled peers from the library system down the street, I probably would have been a bit more attentive to the presentation itself; their work on their own laptops was interesting and a little distractive -- the work they do directly impacts all of the libraries, so it's always something I like to know about. Either way, I did have my laptop open too, but it did help when Michael was talking about his Flickr account and certain websites and/or software. (I was able to discuss some options with Tim from Waterford Public Library, for his website, and for software to use for multi-protocol chat clients.) During the 1-hour lunch intermission, I missed giving a demonstration to other staff of what RSS is and how it can be used as I asked Michael about "podcast studios".
Even though I wasn't paying full attention 100% of the time (it's always best to be honest, right?), I was listening as well as possible, especially since I had to take an accurate tally for the word count (I don't think I missed any "Hot" expulsions)! (It was probably about 80-90% of the time, except during the break when he came over to say hello, and at those points I was almost completely immersed in my computer screen until I realized we were being talked to.) Regardless, when the "Gaming Librarian" type of information came up, I was definitely interested. This is something I think I'd absolutely love to try and start for our library -- at the very least, as a monthly program. It shouldn't cost much to ask staff who own gaming systems to donate them for a few hours, and enable the library to have a freely funded event that pulls in teenagers; something we're always trying, but not quite managing to do (well, that's my hope anyway). We get the child market, but not the teen.
Apparently, my friends/peers thought it would be cool too. After the presentation we were discussing the possibilities of getting a grant to showcase the marketing and learning that games can produce. (For instance: If the staff bring their children, and their children teach their parents how to play a game, not only are the children engaging in leadership skills, but they're teaching, which in itself is a learning experience.) I have plenty of ideas, and if libraries have any Teen or Young Adult librarians, I'm sure they have plenty of ideas too. It's such a wonderful thing...or at least, it has potential to be.
* - Why try to use a textual explanation on our website, hidden somewhere, that we offer wireless connectivity? Why not use the WiFi symbol itself right on our front page?! It may not be the most understood image in the world ("Does that mean I can get on my AOL?"), but we can still supplement this with the textual information I was going to put up anyway. ...yes, our website redesign will also cause me to be an all-in-one package, SEO copywriter, content author, graphics artist, marketing director, project manager, video "consultant" (I refuse to do absolutely everything, but I love helping and teaching), etc...
Had I not attended the presentation with my programmatically-skilled peers from the library system down the street, I probably would have been a bit more attentive to the presentation itself; their work on their own laptops was interesting and a little distractive -- the work they do directly impacts all of the libraries, so it's always something I like to know about. Either way, I did have my laptop open too, but it did help when Michael was talking about his Flickr account and certain websites and/or software. (I was able to discuss some options with Tim from Waterford Public Library, for his website, and for software to use for multi-protocol chat clients.) During the 1-hour lunch intermission, I missed giving a demonstration to other staff of what RSS is and how it can be used as I asked Michael about "podcast studios".
Even though I wasn't paying full attention 100% of the time (it's always best to be honest, right?), I was listening as well as possible, especially since I had to take an accurate tally for the word count (I don't think I missed any "Hot" expulsions)! (It was probably about 80-90% of the time, except during the break when he came over to say hello, and at those points I was almost completely immersed in my computer screen until I realized we were being talked to.) Regardless, when the "Gaming Librarian" type of information came up, I was definitely interested. This is something I think I'd absolutely love to try and start for our library -- at the very least, as a monthly program. It shouldn't cost much to ask staff who own gaming systems to donate them for a few hours, and enable the library to have a freely funded event that pulls in teenagers; something we're always trying, but not quite managing to do (well, that's my hope anyway). We get the child market, but not the teen.
Apparently, my friends/peers thought it would be cool too. After the presentation we were discussing the possibilities of getting a grant to showcase the marketing and learning that games can produce. (For instance: If the staff bring their children, and their children teach their parents how to play a game, not only are the children engaging in leadership skills, but they're teaching, which in itself is a learning experience.) I have plenty of ideas, and if libraries have any Teen or Young Adult librarians, I'm sure they have plenty of ideas too. It's such a wonderful thing...or at least, it has potential to be.
* - Why try to use a textual explanation on our website, hidden somewhere, that we offer wireless connectivity? Why not use the WiFi symbol itself right on our front page?! It may not be the most understood image in the world ("Does that mean I can get on my AOL?"), but we can still supplement this with the textual information I was going to put up anyway. ...yes, our website redesign will also cause me to be an all-in-one package, SEO copywriter, content author, graphics artist, marketing director, project manager, video "consultant" (I refuse to do absolutely everything, but I love helping and teaching), etc...
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