Searching #78: Video

Video content on the web is ubiquitous these days. Innumerable methods and tools exist for editing, uploading and sharing it. Moreover, the most compact and inexpensive of digital cameras now have video recording capability, making amateur moviemakers of us all. Not only is it easy create your own clips, it’s just as easy to find others out there thanks to search engines devoted solely to searching for video content.

In 2006, Time Magazine named as its annual Person of the Year not, as is customary, a world leader, scientist, or celebrity but instead selected “You,” the broad base of users of the World Wide Web. This was due in no small part to a then-relatively young site known as “YouTube.” Though it’s likely the most popular video site on the Internet, YouTube is different from other video search engines for the fact that 1) it is primarily a video-sharing site, allowing users to upload their own content for public or private viewing after creating a free account, and 2) it searches only its own user-generated and uploaded content rather than any video out there on the Internet.

Another well-known video search engine is Truveo. Like Google, Truveo utilizes a simple, user-friendly design that disguises depth and a thoroughness about locating Internet content. The no-frills homepage greets the user with a text box for keyword searching and five of the most popular categories beneath for browsing: News, Sports, TV Shows, Music, and Most Twittered. According to its website, some of the most trafficked online presences, notably those owned by AOL and Microsoft, employ Truveo as their video search engine of choice.

Despite also being very capable and comprehensive, Blinkx’s professed uniqueness lies not solely in presentation or in search options as in how it evaluates video content for accurate retrieval. According to its own description, Blinkx, unlike many search engines, looks not only at the text around a particular form of media to determine what it’s about -- a common method that can sometimes retrieve inaccurate results. Instead, Blinkx employs “speech recognition and video analysis software” that does not only scan text surrounding media to acquire a description but also, in a sense, listens and watches content itself to get a better idea about a video or other form of media, thus providing you with a hit that’s potentially closer to your target.

There are, of course, other great video search engines on the web. For comparison or curiosity’s sake, you could also check out Google Video, Clipblast, Yahoo! Video, or Bing, just to name a few. So, play around and see what entertaining, fun, or interesting content you can find. Just be careful – there’s so much out there that it might be difficult to pull yourself away!

Exercises:
1. Search for a particular video using both Truveo and Blinkx. Look for any similarities or differences in the results, and write about them in your blog.
2. Go to HCPL’s YouTube channel and take a look around. Discuss in your blog ideas for how your own branch video could add to the mix of searchable video content on the Internet.

HCPL Staff: Have you completed this exercise? Dont' forget to submit your Registration of Completion.

Image copyright Jupiterimages

Searching #77: Images

“What does a lupine look like? I need a picture of the El Salvador’s state seal. Where can I find a picture of Davy Crockett?"

We’ve all heard questions like these and can usually find pictures for our use or our customers to use. But how to find one that is free to download and use? Every major search engine has its own image search that is relatively easy to use: – Google, Bing, Yahoo, and Ask.
But how to determine if you can use these images?

What’s the difference between free and royalty free? A "royalty free" image means that the price of the image is the same whatever the time of use and the number of prints. You will still need to buy that image under a royalty free license but then you can use this image without limit of time and without limit of number of uses. There are numerous sites to buy photos from – iStockPhoto or Fotolia to name a couple. "Free" means free - we like our stuff free!

Most of our customers feel the same way. There is a search engine just for pictures called Picsearch. When I searched on “lupine” I got 23,582 hits. Typing in “lupine free” gave me only 32 hits. Further exploration showed that these photos are available for use in “non-commercial website/projects only”. They would like for their website to be acknowledged. The photo used is from © BlossomSwap.com.

Then there is Clip Art – art work that can be used to spiff up any poster. I needed a Santa for our Christmas Blog and got several interesting choices. I tried Microsoft Clip Art (available with the Microsoft Office package), iClipArt, and AllFreeClipArt. I had varying degrees of success with the clip art programs. Harris County Public Library subscribes to a clip art program, called Schools.Clipart for library staff use when making posters, flyers, etc. Each clip from this site must be credited with “@jupiterimages” when used.

Exercises:

1. Using AllFreeClipArt, how many clicks did it take to get to a color Santa that doesn’t look like a troll?
2. Read “10 Places to Find Free Images Online”. Blog about 2 of the sites listed.
3. Try logging in to the clip art program for HCPL use. Each branch has their own login and password you can get from your branch librarian. Find an illustration that could be used for a program at your branch and add it to your blog. Be sure to credit that piece.

Image Credit: www.blossomswap.com/picture/purple_lupines.html

Searching #76: Sound Effects

Ever thought about spicing up your blog with sound effects? Turn up the volume on your speakers, or plug in your headphones, and consider this scenario that uses Windows Media Player to play the sounds:

The alarm clock rings. You wake up and head to the kitchen for breakfast. You crack some eggs into a pan and make some toast. You have a cup of coffee. You brush your teeth, and head out the door. You jump into the car to head off to work.

There are lots of ways to search for sounds. One useful site is FindSounds, a site that has processed over 35 million sound searches to date. This site also provides tips for searching for sounds on the web.

Sound files come in lots of formats. Examples are Microsoft WAV (.wav; a common audio file for Windows); MIDI (.mid; musical instrument digital interface); MP3 (.mp3; compresses music files without loss of quality to make them more easily used by computers); and RealAudio (.ra; sized to support streaming audio). The Simply the Best Sounds site is another good place to search for sounds. It has a list of formats, together with more detailed descriptions.

Like any web content, sound files may contain copyrighted material. It is the user's obligation to obtain copyright clearance if it is required for the intended use.

Exercises:

1. Use FindSounds to search for and post links to at least three animal sound effects in your blog. Finding out whether or not these are in the public domain is not easy. Try clicking on "Show Page" to see the site where the sound originated. You may have to go back to the "Home" page of the website for more detail. Or you can try deleting part of the right-hand side of the web address (URL) to work your way back to a page with more information about the rights governing the use of the sounds. A website that is very concerned with copyright will usually have this posted in a pretty obvious manner.
2. It is much easier on the Simply the Best Sounds site to find what sounds are included in the public domain. Search for three such sounds, and post links to them in your blog. If you can't identify the direct link to the sound, just name the sound and give the link to the page on which it appears.
   

Image @jupiterimages

Searching #75: Google and Beyond

This module on Searching will consist of four parts: general search engines; searching for sound effects; searching for images; and searching for videos. Together they are worth two training hour credits.

Are you in a rut when you search the Internet? Maybe you suspect that your bias for a particular way to search could be limiting your results. If so, it’s time to try BlindSearch , developed by Michael Kordahi and described as a “search engine taste test.” The goal of this site is simple: What happens when you remove the branding from the top 3 search engines? How differently will you perceive the results?

Beyond Google, Yahoo!, and the newer Bing (from Microsoft), there are lots of other search engines out there. Which is #1 with users? Check out the stats on Hitwise, which monitors and updates both the volume of traffic on search engines, and the number of visits to each.

Looking under the surface, what really is it that makes a search engine work? The Berkeley Library took a look at the detailed criteria that make a search engine perform well. This includes factors such as: How big is the database that is searched? How current? How fast is the search? In what ways can you limit searches? How are the results displayed? How are they ranked?

Exercises:
1) Type in at least three queries in Blindsearch, hit search, and then vote for the column which you believe best matches what you were seeking. The columns are randomized with each search. How did your favorite search engine rate in the three tries? Do you think this will affect how you search in the future?

2) What search engine was #1 on Hitwise the week that you searched? How did it compare to its closest competitor? Do the usage statistics match your own personal choice of a favorite?

3) Marketing of search engines requires that they continually add new features that they hope will appeal to you. Explore the features of one of the major search engines (Google, Yahoo!, or Bing). What new things did you discover that you would find useful?

Image Credit: Jupiterimages

This module is brought to you by Nancy Agafitei (CC), Christi Whittington (KW), and Jim Johnson (KW).

Parade of Pets

It seems HCPL staff households are filled with adorable pets, but here are the official HCPL Cutest Pet award winners:

Here they all are in a Parade of Pets:

Pets #74: Social Petworking

Do you want to tell everyone you meet all about your adorable four-legged friend? Do you carry pictures of your pet in your wallet or have them framed around your desk? Do you drive home from work during your lunch break just to let your puppies go “potty,” even if it means you’ll only have 10 minutes to eat? OK. Maybe the last one only applies to me. But if you love to share your pet’s greatness with the world, you might be interested in a few of these websites. You can sign up for a few depending on what type of pet you have.

Make a profile for your pet
Go ahead; give your furry friends an online presence. There are many pets that have their own blogs. They’ve managed to get their humans typing and uploading their pictures for them.

Dogster.com is a social networking site for dogs (or Catster.com for cats). These blogs or “doggie diaries” are written as if the pets themselves are writing them. Their profiles include information about the dogs as you would see on human social networking sites. Dogster also has a pet Q & A section available, and you may also find information about your baby’s specific breed. Don’t miss the section full of great deals for pet products. Their Vet Blog has lots of useful information for cat and dog owners, as well. And, of course, you can’t have a site dedicated to dogs without a photo gallery. Even if you don’t create an account you can browse through themed photo galleries.

There are many options out there when it comes to creating profile for your pet. Depending on your type of pet, you can try CuteasHell.com, Doggyspace.com, Petster.com, Hamsterster.com, myDogspace.com, PetBrags.com, or PetPop.com.

Social Networking for Pet Lovers

So now that Sparky has his own profile, you should look into creating one for yourself. The great thing about these sites is that you will be meeting other pet lovers -- people who can relate to a lunch break that's 85% pet care and 15% eating.

Animalattraction.com donates $1 to the Petfinder.com Foundation for every person that creates an account on their site. They donate more money for every day you log in to your account. You can find breed specific information on their site and find pet lovers’ profiles in your area. Petside.com and Petdoc.com are great places to join if you want something with a focus on your pet’s wellness. Other sites include FetchaFriend.com, Petcrash.com, YouPet.com, Wuffstuff.com, or Yeepet.com.

Exercise

Take a look at a few of the sites and choose one that interests you. If you have a pet, create a profile and blog about the registration process and site features. If you don't have a pet, blog about the different tools available on that social petworking site.

Pets #73: Losing a Friend

For many pet owners, their pet is a major part of the family. As such, the loss of that pet can have a very deep impact. However, so few feel justified in feeling that loss. Some find it difficult to express their grief with those who are not pet owners. Perhaps afraid they will hear “it was only a pet,” few share the emotional impact their furry, feathered, or scaled family member's passing. Websites like the Humane Society of the United States have a page to assist pet parents with the loss of a pet, which can be a lonely experience.

Even more difficult, adult pet owners are often faced with making the ultimate decision for a pet because of illness or loss of quality of life. Twice I have been required to make the decision about a pet, and it has been an agonizing struggle. The ASCPA has a FAQ about pet loss as well as facing the choice of euthanasia and recommended reading to help assist in these choices.

As the Internet has with so many things, there are communities and websites to help connect people with similar experiences in pet loss. One of the most extensive websites on pet loss, offering resources in grievance counseling, is the Delta Society. While the organization itself is located on the east coast and its focus is on improving people’s health and well being via interaction with animals, it provides valuable information on pet loss and grieving.

Through the years, people have found ways to help them grieve the loss of their pet. The popular story of Rainbow Bridge has proven a comfort for many people, and is often referred to on many websites that are pet related.

If you, or someone you know, have had to face or is facing such a difficult time in their role as a pet owner, visit these sites for options and assistance in grieving. Also, general searches on Pet Loss and Grieving can bring up a variety of memorial webpages and references to assist.

Exercises:

1. Do a search on pet loss and grieving and pick a few of the websites. Tell about two or three that you found most helpful (i.e. information, ease of use, supportive). Was it a well known organization? Would you recommend it to others?
2. If you have experienced the loss of a pet, please feel welcome to post a memoriam in the comments below or on your blog.