First off, let me say that I am SO happy Delicious dropped all of its dots... I'd feel my blood pressure go up every time I read d.e.l.i.c.i.o.u.s..... silly, I know, but we all have our quirks!
With that said, I have not jumped onboard the tagging train, even though I find it quite useful. When I was first introduced to social bookmarking a year ago, and Delicious in particular, I discovered I was not very comfortable with it. Part of my unease was because the structure was so fluid. You say tomato, I say tomato. The use of folksonomies in tagging makes sense in the world of collaboration, but I had this undying resistance to using it. Now, a year later, I am still not using Delicious, even though I have an account and have explored the site. And as you can tell by my blog posts, I'm not one for adding tags, or labels as Blogger calls them. (I did make the effort, as an exception, for this post just to show that I'm willing to change.)
I DO believe it is a great tool though... especially for reference work. I don't think there is an easier way to share and use bookmarks than Delicious. What a great way to collect and manage bookmarks for a group of people to utilize in their information sharing efforts. Reviewing NEFLIN's Delicious account is all the more reason why reference departments should utilize this great resource.
An article published in the NYT suggests not blowing your nose while you have a cold. This caught my eye because I am currently battling a painful sinus infection. I used that particular article to compare Furl and Delicious and found them to be very similar. The only real difference I saw was the aesthetic layout of the sites. Both provided statistical information such as how many people had tagged a particular site/article. Furl provided links to other sites tagged by those who tagged the article I read. I did not see that function on Delicious, but I may have missed it while I was blowing my nose.
Showing posts with label 23 things. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 23 things. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Thing #5
I've been a Flickr user for many years. The site is easy to use and makes storing and sharing photos a breeze. I considered an upgraded membership for a while but decided that I don't need to share THAT many photos. Instead, I add and remove photos when the whim strikes me. However, for those who need an online storage site for photos they post on blogs and the like, it makes perfect sense. I'm just not that into it. I'm not looking for online posterity. :)
Joining a variety of groups encourages me to make use of the cameras I have. Here's a short list of some of the groups I belong to:
You can find ALL kinds of fun stuff on Flickr... have you seen this Library Word Find Puzzle?
Joining a variety of groups encourages me to make use of the cameras I have. Here's a short list of some of the groups I belong to:
You can find ALL kinds of fun stuff on Flickr... have you seen this Library Word Find Puzzle?
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Thing #3
I love chickens. Because I love chickens, I used them as my search term on Technorati and BlogPulse. I was mildly surprised by the variance in results. Although the focus of this exercise is blogs, I did a generic search on Google out of curiosity. The two sites that focused on chickens in blogs offered differing results from one another. Results produced blogs by chicken owners, which would have been my subject of choice, as well as recipes for cooking chickens. HA! There were even Bible quotes. What a variety! I don't believe I've ever searched a blog search engine so that was interesting.
Although I never aspire to become a professional blogger, I can see how registering blogs on these sites would greatly benefit those who do. I think as an information provider, these search tools could be useful to provide guidance for info seekers needing to research blogs. Not all research is academic. Sometimes the information we need comes from laypeople. Such as those people who have first hand experience raising chickens in an urban setting, as an example.
Although I never aspire to become a professional blogger, I can see how registering blogs on these sites would greatly benefit those who do. I think as an information provider, these search tools could be useful to provide guidance for info seekers needing to research blogs. Not all research is academic. Sometimes the information we need comes from laypeople. Such as those people who have first hand experience raising chickens in an urban setting, as an example.
Thing #2
As someone who jumped into the library scene mostly through graduate study, I've been fully emersed in the world of Web 2.0. It is, afterall, the method by which I'm earning my degree. If it weren't for the wonders of the Web, my goal of earning a MLIS degree wouldn't come to fruition.
I think the change was needed, no matter what you call it. I also believe the majority of libraries who are convinced they've always been leaders in collaboration are mistaken. They are out of touch with how the general public perceives libraries and their staff. (Picture the scowl-faced, old school, stuffy librarian image here.) This is all a part of the change that is required for libraries to remain a vital part of the communities they serve.
Don't get me wrong, I love libraries! I am a life-long patron, promote the use of libraries, and respect those who've devoted their professional lives to the work of libraries. But we must remain current with information sharing. It goes way beyond the stack of newpapers that are shuffled through on a daily basis. The library user expects us to be knowledgeable so that places a heavy burden on the shoulders of those who work in the profession. We must not only promote life-long learning and literacy... we must set the example. If you're not willing to commit to that challenge, then perhaps life as a library staff member isn't the place for you.
So what the heck does this have to do with the topic of Thing #2? It has to do with acceptance of change. The technologies associated with Web 2.0/Library 2.0 invite us to collaborate and share information in a way that libraries have never seen! I'm excited by this change and am SO glad that I'm entering the field of librarianship now. I'd have never survived in the old school, stodgy, stuff shirt surroundings of libraries that existed when I first became a library user.
I think the change was needed, no matter what you call it. I also believe the majority of libraries who are convinced they've always been leaders in collaboration are mistaken. They are out of touch with how the general public perceives libraries and their staff. (Picture the scowl-faced, old school, stuffy librarian image here.) This is all a part of the change that is required for libraries to remain a vital part of the communities they serve.
Don't get me wrong, I love libraries! I am a life-long patron, promote the use of libraries, and respect those who've devoted their professional lives to the work of libraries. But we must remain current with information sharing. It goes way beyond the stack of newpapers that are shuffled through on a daily basis. The library user expects us to be knowledgeable so that places a heavy burden on the shoulders of those who work in the profession. We must not only promote life-long learning and literacy... we must set the example. If you're not willing to commit to that challenge, then perhaps life as a library staff member isn't the place for you.
So what the heck does this have to do with the topic of Thing #2? It has to do with acceptance of change. The technologies associated with Web 2.0/Library 2.0 invite us to collaborate and share information in a way that libraries have never seen! I'm excited by this change and am SO glad that I'm entering the field of librarianship now. I'd have never survived in the old school, stodgy, stuff shirt surroundings of libraries that existed when I first became a library user.
It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.
- Charles Darwin
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Preparing for the 23Things Kickoff!
As part of my internship with the St. Johns County Public Library System, I am participating in the 23 Things* program sponsored by NEFLIN. I am familiar with many of the Things, thanks to my Master's program at the Florida State University, but there are areas where I can expand my knowledge and put into practice Things I've learned.
In addition to building my Web 2.0 portfolio and honing my skills, I hope to assist others within the SJCPLS with guidance through this self-paced, self-discovery learning experience. It's going to be interesting to see how staff put these new tools, these Things, to use within libraries.
*The 23 Things @ NEFLIN Program is a modification of the Learning 2.0 Program designed by Helene Blowers, Technology Director, Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County and replicated by more the 250 libraries worldwide.
In addition to building my Web 2.0 portfolio and honing my skills, I hope to assist others within the SJCPLS with guidance through this self-paced, self-discovery learning experience. It's going to be interesting to see how staff put these new tools, these Things, to use within libraries.
*The 23 Things @ NEFLIN Program is a modification of the Learning 2.0 Program designed by Helene Blowers, Technology Director, Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County and replicated by more the 250 libraries worldwide.
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