Online Security

We have a Twitter account which I occasionally update. And, lots of our subscribers use Twitter to publish their events directly from EventKeeper. All good, right?

Good until somebody hacks your account, that is. Not the end of the world, but beware.

Fortify those passwords, and watch for any suspicious activity. The web is amazing, but you have to pay attention.

Kindle Fire

Kindle Fire has hit the streets; for 200 bucks, will it put a dent in Apple’s bottom line? Perhaps it competes with the Nook?

Regardless, good for consumers to have more choices going into the Holidays…

PLA 2012

As always, a couple of us will be making the trek to Philadelphia in March to attend PLA. You can find us at Booth # 237, which hopefully is a short stroll from the food.

If you need to book a room and wish to be close to the show site, by all means book now. Some motels are already full up with happy attendees.

We’ll look for you in Philly.

Trade Show Season

We’ve been on the road to New York, Pennsylvania, and Burlington VT recently meeting existing customers and new folks interested in one of our products.

A general trend: energy and optimism were higher on the show floors than last year, and the content break out sessions, which unfortunately we are not able to attend, has been praised to the rafters by everyone.

All good.

 

 

TixKeeper is now live at Boston Public

Happy 4th!

As the weekend, gets going, we’re thrilled to report that TixKeeper, our web based museum pass management software, is now live at Boston Public Library.

Thanks to all of the many folks at BPL who’ve made this happen.

Check it out here!

 

On the road…

Spring’s arrival brings baseball, spring cleaning, and best of all, library trade shows. We really need a life.

We’re glad to get out of the office and visit with some real people, and if you plan on making the trek to one of the shows we’re attending, we’d love you to stop and visit. Our current travel plans include:

Massachusetts Library Association Trade Show and Conference

April 27 – 29, Crowne Plaza, Danvers, MA

Connecticut Library Association Trade Show

May 2 – May 3, Stamford CT Hilton

New Jersey Library Association Conference

May 3- May 4, Ocean Place, Long Branch NJ

New Hampshire Library Association Conference

May 5- 6, Center of New Hampshire Conference Center, Manchester NH

Rhode Island Library Association Trade Show

May 27 – May 28, Bryant University, Smithfield, RI

 

Digital Fingerprints: everywhere you don’t want them to be

Everyone knows, or at least should know, that our actions online are tracked. Online privacy is a myth. An old story, right?

Not so much. “Device fingerprinting” is the “next generation of online advertising.”

Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal published an article about a company called BlueCava Inc., which to quote the Journal, “is building a credit bureau for devices” in which every computer or cellphone will have a reputation based on its user’s online behavior, shopping habits and demographics.” The owner of BlueCava plans to “sell this information to advertisers willing to pay top dollar for granular data about people’s interests and activities.”

Jump to this useful summary put out by International Business Times.

 

A must-read blog

Ok, I’m biased. Katie Nolan has just joined Plymouth Rocket, Inc. as a Product Specialist. When not working at her library or with us, she works on this very cool blog. If you like books, reading, and lists, its a must read.

Libraries are busy, busy

When jobs go away, Americans turn to their libraries to find information about future employment or educational opportunities. This library usage trend and others are detailed in the 2010 State of America’s Libraries report, released today by the American Library Association. The report shows that Americans have turned to their libraries in larger numbers in recent years.

Since the recession took hold in December 2007, the local library, a traditional source of free access to books, magazines, CDs, and DVDs, has become a lifeline, offering technology training and workshops on topics that ranged from résumé-writing to job-interview skills.

The report shows the value of libraries in helping Americans combat the recession. It includes data from a January 2010 Harris Interactive poll that provides compelling evidence that a decade-long trend of increasing library use is continuing—and even accelerating during economic hard times. This national survey indicates that some 219 million Americans feel the public library improves the quality of life in their community. More than 223 million Americans feel that because it provides free access to materials and resources, the public library plays an important role in giving everyone a chance to succeed.

Read the ALA Summary press release here.

iTunes U stats are remarkable

You can find this piece in its entirety at Paul Thurrot’s SuperSite for Windows.

In just over three years, iTunes U downloads have topped 300 million and it has become one of the world’s most popular online educational catalogs. Over 800 universities throughout the world have active iTunes U sites, and nearly half of these institutions distribute their content publicly on the iTunes Store. New content has just been added from universities in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico and Singapore, and iTunes users now have access to over 350,000 audio and video files from educational institutions around the globe.

“iTunes U makes it easy for people to discover and learn with content from many of the world’s top institutions,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of Internet Services. “With such a wide selection of educational material, we’re providing iTunes users with an incredible way to learn on their computer, iPhone, iPod or iPad.”

Created in collaboration with colleges and universities, iTunes U makes it easy to extend learning, explore interests or learn more about a school. A dedicated area within the iTunes Store, iTunes U offers users public access to content from world class institutions such as Harvard, MIT, Cambridge, Oxford, University of Melbourne and Université de Montréal. iTunes U gives anyone the chance to experience university courses, lab demonstrations, sports highlights, campus tours and special lectures. All iTunes U content is free and can be enjoyed on a Mac or PC, or wirelessly downloaded directly onto an iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.

It’s very slick. Recently checked out several Civil War programs produced by PBS/Virginia, and they were just great. For free.