#19Discovcering Web 2.0 tools

Had a look at several of the different catagories and found quite a few of our old friends in the mix - bloglines, Technorati , Zoho writer and Library thing just to name a few. I went to a few of the areas but was disappointed to find that they were American based - I don't think I'll be able to get to America to pick up the latest bargain on winter coats! Had a good look at the books catagory and spent a fair bit of time at http://www.biblio.com/. Found a great site at http://www.backpackit.com/ which is loaded with heaps of great organizational tools - one day I'll become better organized, when I can just find the time!

The sheer volume of Web 2.0 technologies available is staggering and I'm not certain how much just one person can use but if you want or need something there seems to be a way you can find it online.

I'm not certain how these sites can be used in the public library setting but I'm certain someone will think of ways we can use these technologies.

I love this quote from Douglas Adams.

#18Web-based apps

Until today I didn't even know these web-based programs were available. I signed up for Zoho (I'm can't keep track of how many sites I've joined and I'm certain I'll have trouble remembering all my passwords) and inadvertantly registered for zoho wiki - marysramblings.wiki.zoho.com. I'm not quite certain what this means but will go back and investigate later on. I'm impressed with how many different things you can do on Zoho - word processing, spreadsheets, templates presentations, etc. You can even start your own online tools. I looked at Notebook and liked the edit, share and publish export functions - I tried to share my document with someone but haven't heard yet whether I was successful or not. Spent some time looking at all the templates they have but didn't add any of my own. I'm amazed that all of this is available for free and how easy it is to use.

I was very surprised to find that I can publish to my blog directly from Zoho. If I'm writing something in Zoho and find the urge to publish it to my blog I can do it with the push of a button - no cutting or pasting and I don't even have to log into my blog. This post was done on Zoho writer and published to my blog directly. That's very cool!

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.