My Ode to Web 2.0

My Ode to Web 2.0

I've learned so much from 2.0 -
My very own blog is on the go.
The Flickr pics are really neat,
And RSS just can't be beat.
Facebook is some mindless fun
Del.icio.us ideas are never done.
Wikis and Zoho give more time to play,
I'll have to come back another day!

In The Pod

Ah, more fun! As a personal email user, I get a lot of YouTube links sent to me with the attached instructions: "you just have to watch this one!" - but of course they are all for entertainment purposes and I only watch them when I have time, otherwise I hit delete.....and figure my day will go on with or without them.
But I have never actually searched for a video, so that was the fun part today. I decided to search "library" (why not?) and I hope you enjoy this classic cut from Sesame Street! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJlkplvYdgA
And then just to keep on file for my own memories, a hockey moment from the Memorial Cup tournament back in May when the cup broke (and I was there to see it live!). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2cT5J0gxeU
Again, I could spend a lot of time searching different things, and it's good to know it's there for such times! I was unable to access podcast.net. Yahoo Podcasts was also unavailable. But I did look at Podcastalley and again searched "library". I looked at quite a few of the hits and from that I saw how podcasting could be useful in a library setting. First of all, it would be an opportunity to hook teens in! There were research tips, book reviews, seminars, what's new...., and the list goes on. I think it would be a great way to market what the library has to offer, and could be a wonderful teaching tool for patrons.
Some of the pages in the additional reading were also not available - but I did check out the Beginner's Guide.....which had mixed reviews at the end. I think you would certainly have to know what you are doing to make a good podcast. Is there a cost involved?
For now, I think I'll just continue to enjoy watching the podcasts and work on enhancing my blog skills.

Let's Go Zoho!

Zoho was new to me! I like it. Nice layout, easy to navigate, free - who doesn't like free? I played around with the many features it offered and wrote a little something special that I will "post to my blog" on Week 12.....stay tuned for that! I'm sure students like it. I still remain a bit leary about posting information that may have the possibility of being seen by "outsiders", but overall, I like it as another word processing option. And the whole "user name and password" thing is so yesterday now.......finally found my groove there! I also took a peek at Google Docs - couldn't see much without signing up - but it also looks neat and I will have to check it out another time.
And also for when I have more time........I am going to try the Web 2.0 Award Winning "Hairmixer" tool (found under Fun Stuff, of course!) where you can see what you look like with different hairstyles.....okay it only won 2nd place, but doesn't it sound like fun?

wikiwikiwikiwikiwikiwikiwiki.........

Aha! Wikepedia is something I had heard about before. Often during a Google search, a hit from Wikepedia will appear. I have been on that site before, and it always appears to have reliable information, but of course, I am always leary and have to check other sites too, just to confirm the information is correct. It's a bit of a double-edged sword, I guess. Teachers do not allow it as a reliable source for students to use, important information could be deleted, personal opinions can influence it....and on the list goes. However, I think it can also be very useful. It is a way to get info quick! And in today's society people like quick! If there is a common goal in mind with the people who are using it, and these people make the effort to keep the information correct, then this makes it more credible, which seemed to be the case with the different sites I visited (some had more controls in place which gave me comfort). It would be fun to have a library wiki for readers advisory and recommendations, but again, I would like to see it closely monitored. As long as people understand how wikis work, then they can use them to their benefit.

Web 2.0 and Me

Time, time, time......how do we find more of it, and where the heck does it go so fast? Personal time, staff time......the time factor is one of things that stuck out to me in Meredith's article. As library workers, patrons expect us to know "everything", and there seems to be so much to know in 2.0, and so little time to know it in. Will I go back to the sites I created user names and passwords for? Yes, some of them, but not all. I have really only had time to scratch the surface and it has been fun (and educational too), so I guess I can, at the very least, say to a patron that "I have heard about......" which is certainly more than I knew six weeks ago! The never-ending BIG question is and will always be "what do patrons want"?
I read all the articles listed - felt it was worth my while. Web 2.o is going to be a different experience for everyone who uses it. I like it's resource sharing ways, social identity and inexpensive cost. I agree with the writers who mentioned that you need to have a goal in mind when using it, for it to be effective. I never really considered myself to be a tech-geek, but do I really have a choice in the matter? I loved Library 4.0 in the article by Dr. Wendy Schultz. Ahhhhhh, just reading it was like a mini-holiday! I aspire to 4.0. Yes, playing continues to be fun!

Week 6 - Halfway There (wherever that may be...)

Another interesting week. Another new account to sign up for.......same user name, kind of same password (don't forget it needs a number too! yikes!)....and onward I go! I won't forget to save as I go this week.....
I had heard about Del.icio.us from Kae sometime in the past year so the name was familiar but I had never checked it out. I like what it has to offer and want to pursue it further during our "week off". I could go on a tagging frenzy. I like the layout and it offers lots of no-stress help. Patrons would like that too.
Technorati......probably not for me. There are other places I'd rather spend my time at. However, good to know about. I prefered using the directory as opposed to the search and did yield different results. The directory just seems neater and clearer to my senses, but I can see how both could be beneficial for different reasons.

Library Thing is the Thing for Me!

Yikes....I was almost done my post when I slipped a look at another page, and when I came back, all that was left was my title! Not what I want to happen on a Friday...or any other day for that matter. So let' s see how good my memory really is.....
I had not heard about Library Thing before......how could that be? I like it and I can think of some library patrons who might like it too. I did some groaning at the thought of yet another user name and password. I have an Amazon account where I keep a list of books I want to read/possibly buy, but that is strictly for my own use. Library Thing is more social and I want to explore it more. It would be fun to find new authors and books to read. I worry about it being another time stealer though - maybe I need to find a book about "balance"?
I joined Facebook in the summer of 2007. My teenage daughter was using it and I thought I should know more about it (especially if someone at the library ever asked me about it- no one has yet!) so she helped me get signed up and showed me all the bells and whistles. I probably use it almost as much as her, but for different reasons. I used to use the visual bookshelf feature but I think I took it off. There is a lot of useless stuff on it too and privacy is always an issue. I don't think some people who use it really think far into the privacy thing sometimes...but that is another story - don't even get me started but really all that is needed is some common sense. I even created my own group - a crazy family thing - but it is a closed group and as the administrator, I control who can join it. Again, privacy is the thing that would concern me for using it with the library.
Well, it's too nice to be inside......:)