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Recent Entries

• You say Windowshop. I say Shelf Browse.
• Internet Safety and Kids - Finally Something that Makes Sense!
• Where are the librarians?
• Ten Years of Learned Helplessness Coming to an End
• NISO RFID Guidelines Helpful but not yet "Standards"

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November 6, 2008

You say Windowshop. I say Shelf Browse.

If you haven't seen the new Amazon Windowshop site, you gotta click on over right away. This is where we are going. It's a complete experience. The user has complete control plus it has audio (music and spoken word) AND it includes great CD and book cover images as well as movie clips. Using space bar to get a bigger view of the items grouped together. Click the space bar again to zoom in. It's fun, it looks great and it walks and talks and sings!

Oh, and you can click on stuff to buy it or download it. So, it's simple too.

Now, while you are there...think about this. Imagine that (as you click the right arrow key) you are scrolling through material from your catalog in Dewey order (okay, imagine something even better than Dewey). Using the up arrow key takes you to related material (e.g. "See Also").

I'm thinking this would make a very nice addition to Amazon's Web Services product offering.

Posted by at 7:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | Trackbacks (0)

October 20, 2008

Internet Safety and Kids - Finally Something that Makes Sense!

Rather than relying on filters (which we've established are far from perfect, even in the best cases), the Senate has finally come up with an approach that makes some sense: Broadband Data Improvement Act (S.1492). Imagine this....educate the children to be intelligent Internet users!

According to an article in eSchool News "schools receiving e-Rate discounts on their telecommunications services and internet access soon will have to educate their students about online safety, sexual predators, and cyber bullying." The bill requires the FTC to "carry out a national public awareness program focused on educating children how to use the internet in safe and responsible ways."

Hooray for seeing the value of Internet Literacy!

Posted by at 12:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)