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.