Malware

Luckily I have not yet been the target of a phishing scam. Before learning this lesson I didn't even know such scams existed although I have heard about general computer viruses that cause unwanted advertisement pop-ups, computer freezes or deletion of files etc...

I always try not to provide my personal information on the internet. I am still nervous about using online banking so I only check my accounts on computers which are protected with reputable anti-virus software such as Norton and always try to do tasks there quickly. I usually don't open emails if I don't know the person who sent it.

Mashup - revisited

I can see that mashups are a very useful tool for businesses as well as libraries in terms of marketing and promoting. For instance, using Google maps and flickr to mashup is an excellent way to promote our library services. For individuals we can combine photos/videos and clips/information from holiday trips etc. and add them to specific locations we went to, which we can mark on Google maps. It is fun and can be another way to retain valuable memories.

Most of the mashups that were introduced this week are really useful, such as Walkable, Where to live, bkkeepr, and Visual Headlines which looks very artistic and professional.

Instant communication

I have tried Instant messaging in Gmail & yahoo. It was fun, but it's hard for people to be online at the same time. Also as I invited people from two different accounts (both Gmail and Yahoo) we kept missing each other, so when I was logged into the Gmail account they were responding to my yahoo invite and vice versa.

I have also tried Skype, using video chat and also via typing. I was impressed. I planned to make a PC to PC call to the US, but as Superchicken77 commented there were costs for that which I will need to investigate first.

I believe instant messaging would be very good for library communication with patrons as it feels more friendly and you can get a quicker response as opposed to emailing. They can also save money which would otherwise have been used for making a phone call and while the patron is waiting for an answer they can easily go to do something else.

I think that Skype would also be very useful for conferences, training and meeting with others from different locations at the same time etc.