Web 2.0, Library 2.0

This topic is so far reaching that it is hard for me to be coherent. For the library, I think the biggest challenge with changing technology is still the tech divide. It's great to know that some people spend 40 hours a week on secondlife. But when we still have a 30 minute wait for a computer, it really puts it all in perspective. The bare essentials, paying bills online, checking email and googling, are still out of reach for many people.

The possibilities of Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 are immense. And I'm excited that libraries and library customers have a reason to be excited. For too long I think it has felt like libraries lost their purpose. And now it finally feels like we know what direction we should be headed.

More RSS Feeds

So I checked out Topix, Syndi8, and Technorati and so far I am not that impressed. I added Technorati to my Bloglines account to see if I would take a look at it later. I liked that Topix had local links. I like RSS feeds from my usual favs like Mother Jones, The Nation, etc. but I would rather just read what competent journalists have to say rather than a bunch of raving lunatics. I need to venture outside of my normal reading of politics and news. But ,with a little over a month left until the election, it is hard.

D.e.l.i.c.i.o.u.s.

It is nice to access bookmarks from any location. What I think is the neatest thing about delicious is using the tags similar to flickr. Avid readers can tag different websites and, hopefully, be able to access information at a later time. I don't know how many times in my life I have read something and wish I could remember when or where I read it. I'll have to play with this feature and see how helpful it is in that sense. Also, once again, I feel like my favorite feature is being able to see what other people have suggested and noted. Ahhh... the joys of web 2.0.

Library Thang

About a year ago, I signed up for Librarything and never really went back to it. I really like the recommendation area and just perusing around to see what is popular. I think I originally took it a little too literally as I way of cataloging what I already own. Now I realize that it might be nice to just to keep track of what I have read and also add books that I would even like to read in the future (beats thousands of post-it notes and pieces of paper hanging out around the house). However, I also joined Great Reads (never use it) and have an application on my Facebook account (rarely use it).

Okay, I lied.

Twitter is about as addicting as my facebook account. I'm just pondering the article I read the other day about the "changing brain" once it starts multi-tasking on social network sites.

I need to COMPLETE my discovery excercises

Since I am weeks behind, I have jumped around a little. I found Twitter quite fun. But I am worried it may start to annoy me just like my facebook page. Why should I care what anyone ate for lunch today? Why should anyone care what I ate for lunch today? TMI!!! I gripe but I will still partake in all the nonsense (and probably enjoy it just a little). I guess it will be more fun when I find something real to tweet about. I can see how it would be useful to stay up-to-date with happenings in the library but it's also full of complete nonsense.

https://twitter.com/csoehnlen

RSS Feeds

I fumbled a bit through this one. I set-up my bloglines and then sort of blanked. What internet sites do I usually go to? I feel like a spend a lot of time online but I think I tend to peruse through links. I added a few general news sites but, overall, I really don't read blogs. And the only one I do read doesn't have an RSS feed (or at least it does not appear to have one). However, if I can find blogs that I like and link them to my bloglines, maybe I will become a blog reader. Overall, I like the idea of my bloglines account but the format feels sort of antiquated. I'm going to keep playing around and see how much I use it in the coming weeks.

My Head is About to Explode

After 45 minutes with Flickr, I am starting to feel like a dinosaur. I mean really! I am only 28 years old. I was born in 1980! I am on the cusp between Generation X and Generation Y (though I've always been partial to Gen-X) :) Does the smiley go before or after the parenthesis? I just keep reminding myself that it's only been 10 years since email was "so cool" and that this was my freshman year of college...

So I have created a Flickr "badge" which contains tags of libraries. The photos on my Flickr are, so far, not work appropriate. So I'll be working on that next. But so far, I just want to keep digging deeper into this stuff. It really is amazing to me how far things have come in so little time.