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......:)

Learning Something Simple.....?

Another week, another new thing to add to my brain! I had no idea what RSS was about, and so I was feeling overwhelmed before I even got started.....but now that I have this new found knowledge, it's not as scary as I originally thought it might be. Did I enjoy it? You bet....but I am with Pat when I say I need to limit the time I spend searching and discovering. I find myself off the beaten track more often than not. There is just so much interesting (sometimes useful, sometimes not) information out there - all available at our fingertips! Was it challenging? Yes. When I heard that new users should stick to the default settings, I thought that sounded like a good idea. As a newbie, I liked the "Top 1000" and other recommendation lists as a place to start. For some reason I could not access Feedstar so will have to try again sometime. I subscribed to a news account (thought I should...the pressure to keep myself current!), and the daily quotes account (as I love words that go hand in hand together). I also added the blogs of 2 fellow Web 2.0 learners, as well as Gary Doyle's blog from 570News. I often listen to his afternoon show and read his blog - this seemed like a logical thing to do, even though I never knew I could access it this way before! And who knew what that "feeds" tab was for in Favourites? Not me....but now I do and it is starting to all make sense. I will certainly be more aware of the RSS logo on websites from now on....isn't new found knowledge great? Well, I'm off for a walk before it rains again......