more cool connections

technorati tags:library-20, library2.0, library 2.0, libraries, policies, customers

My libX

w00t!
I had promised that it would be on my short list after the SirsiDynix Superconference this year. I went to a great (GRRRRREAT) pre-conference session on catalog add-ons and Bernardo Gomez from Emory presented it there. (note: I heard Mack once say that if we created a sirsi API knighthood, Bernardo would be the 1st one in.)

Long, long ago, (1999?) we go iBistro and we had the option to add a link to Amazon in the form of a BUY NOW button to title records in our catalog which had a wait list.
I remember bitching ;) that until Amazon was willing to put a library button in their results, we shouldn't do that. (which is not the reason why PTB decided against it.)

Well here it is, not official yet, not even public outside this little forum. Probably still full of bugs and certainly not ready for prime time. A way for our customer to download the firefox plugin and have our library at the tip of their finger (mouse) everywhere they browse, all the time.

Best yet will be the library icon next to every amazon record (or NYT book review title), the ability to search for any term by simple highlight, right click; AND the fact that we will have it downloaded at ALL OUR PUBLIC PCs to allow all the good Internet users to access all the rest of the resources they might have been missing out on.

Can you tell I'm excited?

technorati tags:library-20, library2.0, library 2.0, libraries, policies, customers

Heaven and Hell

David Armano is VP of Experience Design with Critical Mass,
a professional services firm with a sweet spot for creating outstanding experiences.

His Logic+Emotion Blog is one of my all time favorites.
In this case, he makes the point so well. (as always.)

How does our library brand measure up?




technorati tags:library-20, library2.0, library 2.0, libraries, policies, customers

Making your customer laugh

I loved this email I just got from CDBaby.

Your CD has been gently taken from our CD Baby shelves with sterilized contamination-free gloves and placed onto a satin pillow.

A team of 50 employees inspected your CD and polished it to make sure it was in the best possible condition before mailing.

Our packing specialist from Japan lit a candle and a hush fell over the crowd as he put your CD into the finest gold-lined box that money can buy.

We all had a wonderful celebration afterwards and the whole party marched down the street to the post office where the entire town of Portland waved "Bon Voyage!" to your package, on its way to you, in our private CD Baby jet on this day, Wednesday, May 28th.

I hope you had a wonderful time shopping at CD Baby. We sure did. Your picture is on our wall as "Customer of the Year." We're all exhausted but can't wait for you to come back to CDBABY.COM!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Sigh...
--
Derek Sivers, president, CD Baby
the little store with the best new independent music
http://cdbaby.com cdbaby@cdbaby.com (503)595-3000

It put a smile on my face 1st thing this morning.
It came "FROM:CD Baby loves Sylvie (orders@cdbaby.com)
I wish I could write the "hold available notices" that way.

BTW,
check CDBaby out for genius stuff such as :


The Nouveaux Honkies








Swamp Chicken

and Ben Prestage

technorati tags:library-20, library2.0, library 2.0, libraries, policies, customers

my i-friends

Today, Meredith Farkas blogged about online disclosure and "friendships". It's nice how she articulates a lot of the feelings I have had, both anxiety and joy, about my online presence and about all the contacts I have made in the past couple of years. In most cases, I am mostly an admirer, and I have been lucky enough to be able to converse, online or otherwise with a few of them. So it still feels to me like a "rock star-groupie" kind of thing. But I have grown fond of many for what they share, what they encourage me to share and for their willingness to help EVERYONE make some headway in their efforts to make their little/big library more open, more transparent and more responsive. These people are real to me, they set an example for me everyday and often I use their eyes to see further. Often I use their words to initiate change.

I did the same thing in flesh and blood 10 years ago when I got involved with the Unicorn User Group International and met system administrators and librarians I found so bright and inventive. I became a fan, then a friend. I would have not become the library geek I am without Selden, Mack, Karen, Jack and countless others. They gave me the confidence to develop my skills, and to become someone others can got to for help and who is involved enough to bring about change in that community. ...The same thing.

On that path, then and now, I got to fall in love with their dogs, meet their parents, eat their food, go to my hometown with them, pray for their babies...
I got to plan a revolution, joke around with them and, oh yeah, sometimes, really cool stuff happened to me too.

-heard from photographer (and Nelson ;) at 7:30 am, posted on flickr at 7:33 am, got it back in Bloglines from TTW at 7:38 am.

This is hot, it made my day.




technorati tags:library-20, library2.0, library 2.0, libraries, i-friends, friends, humans