Jing is the easiest application I have ever used. Sorry, to jump in with no preamble but it is! (By the way, Check the title! I now remember which module we're on.) I watch the video tutorials and I got it. Jing has very few icons so ... there are very few icons to remember. What took me forever was recording the video. Not that Jing had anything to do. It was all me. Me. And my inability to talk sensibly for more than a minute at a time. It was ridiculous.
I just realized I've never had to talk for that long. Usually in a conversation someone interjects so we all probably only talk for seconds at a time. I have decided that I need more practice. I think I'm going to start reading out loud when I do my leisure reading. 'Cause my final product might sound okay but that took hours ... literally. *sigh* Alright, the vent is over.
*Inhales* I think libraries could really make use of Jing for tutorials alone. Especially, when it comes to showing how to place holds. I can't tell you how many questions I get a day about placing a hold (and I don't work in circulation). It is a great way to interact with patrons online and to gain the interest of some prospective patrons.
One major drawback is the time it takes to make a Jing video. If the maker is anything like me they will spend hours re-recording over and over again. I don't see a librarian doing this on top of ordering materials, conducting programs, provide reference assistance, and all of the other things librarians do in an eight hour shift. It would be way to prep intensive.
Also, when the library changes the way it does something the video tutorials would need to be changed as well. Which means remembering there is a video tutorial for it in the first place. It's a lot to manage. I am starting to see more and more reasons for the poorly executed library pages on Web 2.0 sites. Who's supposed to find the time to do all of this stuff?
Your last paragraph is so spot on. I had actually used Jing before and I went back to look at my old one to jog my memory of what I had done, and it was completely outdated. While the instructional part of it could still be used, some parts had dates and I referred to them as being "most current" and they weren't current at all.
ReplyDeleteIt seems your last comment, "Who's supposed to find the time to do all of this stuff?" is a major issue. There are so many duties a librarian already must attend to, that finding the time to add Web 2.0 resources is insurmountable.
-KW