Wikis

Since the word wiki comes from the Hawaiin phrase wiki wiki meaning something fast I thought I should include some images of Hawaii.

#17PBWiki

Had a play in the Learning 2.0 favourites wiki and added my blog to the Favourite blogs page. This was very easy and the instructions very easy to follow. Spent longer than I anticipated just looking around but I guess thats what I was supposed to do!

This photo has nothing at all to do with wikis but I thought it was time I revisited Flicr and added another image to my blog.

#16Wikis

My only previous experience of wikis was the Wikipedia which I often go to for general information or to settle an argument at home. Until this discovery exercise I hadn't realised how many wikis were out there and all the various organisations that have them. I think the collaborative nature of wikis is great and the sharing of information can only be a good thing but I worry about the possibility of incorrect information being treated as fact. Our knowledge and opinions on many topics are very subjective and any editing we do to the wiki might show this bias. I understand why some teachers do not allow students to use wikis as a reference but it is a great way to get general information on a variety of topics very easily and quickly.

I love the collabrative and community nature of wikis and the thought that the wiki can represent a consensus within a community as mentioned in the article Using wikis to create online communities. This article also mentioned making the library website the online hub of the community. Since we spend a great deal of time considering how we can become part of the community this might be worth considering. I also liked the idea of library customers adding to the catalogue (I can hear the screams from some Bib. Services staff). I hasten to add that their imput should be in the form of reviews, etc of books they have read and not the actual catalogue entry - at least not at first.

I think wikis are a great resource and we should certainly consider how we can utilise them in the public library setting.

#14Technorati

Well I've had an interesting, if sometimes confusing, look at the technorati site. The thought of 50 million blogs is overwhelming - where do people get the time? I did the "learning 2.0" search in the 3 different search fields, and got different results in each. Getting useful results really depends on the words you use. Searching all the words gave me over 34,000 results, whereas the exact phrase, Learning 2.0, cut this to just over 4,000. I liked the way the results from the tag search displayed sorting the results into quickview, posts, blogs, etc.
After this I searched looked at a few of the most popular sites and found quite a few there that I have used before including Boing Boing which I came across when i was doing the RSS feeds. Anyway I signed up and had a go at claiming my blog (I think I was successful), have released the "spiders" and even managed to add another widget to my blog. I think that may be enough new technology for my tired brain today - think I'll go and have a nap or a drink (maybe both).

#15 On Library 2.0 and Web 2.0

Reading the articles on the OCLC Next Space Newsletter, especially the article by Rick Anderson ("Away from the 'icebergs'") made me reconsider the way I felt libraries should go in the future. I've always considered that libraries should move with the times and embrace new technology and methods of providing information but I have trouble letting go of the more traditional services we offer. In his article Rick Anderson states that "As a Web 2.0 reality continues to emerge and develop, our patrons will expect access to everything – digital collections of journals, books, blogs, podcasts, etc. You think they can’t have everything? Think again. This may be our great opportunity." At almost every meeting within the library we have a discussion on falling visits/loans and what we can do to alter the trend. If libraries are to continue to grow and meet the needs of future generations then we will have to adapt and change with the times very quickly.

On a personal level the Learning 2.0 experience has made me explore many sites that I would otherwise have never encountered and hopefully will make me better able to meet the needs and expectations of our customers.

#13Del.icio.us

Well it's been quite fascinating to see how del.icio.us works and I can see the benefits of its use. Overall the idea of this website is a good one, it can benefit a lot of people and establish networks. The favorites button I've been using on my computer has always seemed like a great tool but it is very limited as you can only access it from the computer you put the favorites on. Del.icio.us allows you to access your favorites from any computer that has internet access. Installing the 2 del.icio.us buttons was really easy and probably a first for me because I tend not to take those steps in my use of the internet (always scared I'll cause untold damage to the computer). I created my own del.icio.us account and I think I'll keep adding to it with useful and frequently used sites. It seems that this site offers a great way to save time as you don't have to log onto individual sites and all your favourite and most used sites are available at the press of a button.

#12 Rollyo

The Rollyo site is great. Either my brain is working differently or else all this learning is having an effect because I'm finding the new concepts easier to understand (hope the trend continues). I can see how much time and effort can be saved by having favourite sites at my fingertips on Rollyo. No more wading through hundreds of useless sites just to find the few I want and trust. I can see relevant uses within the library, too, as we could have rolls on various topics/subjects which would reduce searching time for information queries.
Maybe I'll have to go back to both the Library thing and Rollyo sites to get a bit more practice....