Gilroy Library Computer Tips Do online tutorials, get some hands-on tips, or explore and expand your social networking skills!

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Computer Instruction and Tips:

Very limited computer instruction can be provided at Gilroy Library due to the volume of patron questions.

The Gilroy Senior Center at 7371 Hannah Street (at Sixth) in Gilroy, provides extensive computer classes for adults. Phone them at (408) 848-0465 for more information. (The Senior Center is located directly behind Gilroy Library.)

Online computer tutorials:

• Explore some older Web sites selected by Santa Clara County librarians which feature computer tutorials you can use at home or in the library at: http://www.santaclaracountylib.org/electronic_library/Selected_Web_Sites/bmk_glossaries.html
• More updated librarian-selected computer tutorials can be found at Librarian's Index to the Internet at http://lii.org/

Learn more about Social Networking:

What is social networking? In a nutshell, social networking allows individuals to connect and collaborate online by sharing mutual interests using some new Internet software enhancements.

One major characteristic of social networking is the proliferation of virtual communities involving group authoring and development of unique imagery, original video, and digital audio, with text on the sites written and edited by the Internet users themselves.

While Santa Clara County Library does not endorse or promote outside products or services, you might take a look at these social networking resources (below) and form your own opinion about the trend towards online communities and shared creative projects.

• Basic social networking information:
  See Wikipedia's user-created rundown of social networking topics at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_software for one explanation of this movement and its technology.
• Learn to Blog:
  Create a free blog (online diary) and share your news and views with others online at Google's Blogger: http://www.blogger.com/.
• Search Blogs by topic:
  Search for topics covered by other bloggers at Technorati: http://technorati.com/
• View photos and share your own:
  Share your photos and images on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/
• Receive all your news and updates in one site:
  Learn about RSS feeds and set up a reader account filled with your favorite news and sources of information on Bloglines: http://www.bloglines.com/
• Have your favorite Web sites travel with you:
  Take your favorite Web sites on the road with social bookmarklets provided by Del.ici.ous: http://del.icio.us/
• Collaborate in a writing project:
  Share an informational writing project with others or read what others have written about your favorite topics, using Wikis. To read more about wikis and search for user-authored wiki topics, try Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki.
• Share your videos:
  Visit YouTube to share your videos (or view others) at http://www.youtube.com/.
• Podcast your meeting or original music:
  To learn about podcasting, visit Yahoo! Podcasts Beta at http://podcasts.yahoo.com/ or the international Podcast Directory at http://www.podcastdirectory.com/map/.
• Create an online community of friends:
  Learn what the virtual community is hearing, posting, and viewing today on MySpace.com http://www.myspace.com/, or, create your own meeting place online (and control who sees your information with privacy settings) at Facebook.com: http://www.facebook.com/.
• Download audio or audio books:
  To learn about downloadable audio, visit Wikipedia's user-compiled page on audio books at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audiobook and see our Santa Clara County Library page on downloadable audio books at http://www.santaclaracountylib.org/electronic_library/ebooks.html
• Explore a fantastic world while engaged in a quest, battle, or adventure:
  Interested in gaming? World of Warcraft is one of the more popular social networking games on the Internet with gorgeous graphics and massive detail in levels of play. Groups of users may form "Guilds" to protect each other during battles, share tips and lore, and achieve higher levels of play. This game allows adults and teens to play, a bonus to families. Here is an introduction to WOW: http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/basics/guide.html .You can also view actual play or see introductory cinematics for the game at: http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/trailer/ .
• Create your double in a realistic world you and others have designed:
  One life not enough? Many institutions of higher learning, non profits, governmental agencies, and individuals are "purchasing" virtual real estate, creating graphic replicas of their "brick and mortar" structures, and designing characters called "Avatars" who represent them, or other real people, in a virtual world called Second Life. Not really a game, Second Life provides the ability for users to live in a virtual world, which they and others have helped to create), to purchase items "residents" have fashioned with SL's Linden dollars, to "meet" others for friendships, or to search for "parties" and educational or informational events, all happening within the Second Life virtual world. To view a tutorial on Second Life, see: http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/LSL_Tutorial or https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Video_Tutorials.

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