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This blog is done, but I’ll be tumbling @ wolfnotes.tumblr.com

lolcat #3

One last thing

I think Learning 2.0 is a great program, and I think staff development should take note and offer programs that expand on some of the concepts involved. I have discovered sites that I use almost every day like del.icio.us and Bloglines (which I have replaced Google Reader with) as well as podcasts that I enjoy regularly. Writing blog entries forced me to think about each Thing and its connection to libraries or library service. Reading others’ reactions to each topic was also interesting. In future learning programs I would like to see more collaborative activities (e.g. multi-user blogs, mailing lists, forums, wiki-creation, document editing, etc.).

Though I can’t see myself blogging extensively, I am interested in exploring other platforms such as Vox and Tumblr.

The Audiobook Thing

I took a look at our eMedia collection, first searching but not finding any specific titles and then browsing available titles. I’d be curious to know the download stats. I think the limited number of compatible mp3 players (no iPod) will limit the number of users; and some may not want to install the proprietary software.

The Podcast Thing

Started watching podcasts a while ago when I discovered The Totally Rad Show, an often -funny movie/videogame/comics review show. I also bought an mp3 player around that time and have subscribed to a few podcasts since then, such as Diggnation and Smodcast, which I subscribe to using iTunes and transfer onto the player for later listening or viewing.

For this Thing, I visited PodcastAlley.com, searched for libraries and found podcasts such as Uncontrolled Vocabulary, Talking with Talis, and Library Geeks, which I plan to explore at some point.

The YouTube Thing

Ah, YouTube, the opiate-of-the-masses 2.0.

Appropriately enough, here comes another bubble (the music video):

I also recently came across an amusingly accurate prediction from 1967 of the future of personal computers.

And the Web 2.0 Award goes to

Ma.gnolia, Yelp, Upcoming, 43 Things, and Last.fm are a few Web 2.0 Award-winning sites that I hadn’t visited before that I’d like to explore further. Fuzzmail is a fun concept.  Upcoming might be useful for librarians to promote special events or programs. I’m not sure what the difference is between the “bookmarking” and “social tagging” categories though.

Google Docs 1. ThinkFree 0.

I was already familiar with Google Docs, having used it to upload/edit docs and spreadsheets on multiple computers, which I find easier than continually e-mailing myself updated copies (Gmail gives you the option to open compatible files attached to e-mails in Google Docs, which is probably how I first discovered it). So, for this Thing, I attempted to use ThinkFree, which didn’t go so well. I couldn’t even register in Firefox, so I had to use IE for some reason. Then I couldn’t get an excel file to upload. I don’t know if a slow connection had something to do with it, but I gave up. So I’m sticking with Google on this one.

A short aside: it’s a small world wide web. While using Google Blog search to find mentions of Google Docs, Zoho, etc. I found this post by a fellow QL learner.

The Facebook Thing

I registered for Facebook and though I can’t see myself using it often (I have a Friendster account I rarely check), some of the apps look interesting/fun and might be worth installing and trying out, e.g. iRead, since it looks like I can import my library from LibraryThing (my free account there is maxed out at 200 items).

And I like lolcats as much as the next guy, but a top 10 Facebook app for librarians? Not so sure about that one.

The Wiki Thing

My experience with wikis to this point has been mostly limited to Wikipedia, which I use almost on a daily basis. I have made minor edits to a few entries, including one on slipstream, an obscure fiction genre.

So seeing how libraries are using wikis (e.g. SJCPL Subject Guides , Book Lovers Wiki) was interesting, though it seems most of the other examples are from academic libraries.

A wiki on frequently used print resources and websites for reference and/or readers’ advisory might be useful. Even a reference FAQ could come in handy and save time. All this assuming administrators and staff would contribute and keep things updated. Same goes for a policies and procedures wiki.

As for adding/editing an entry, maybe I’ll contribute to this wiki on chess variants, though like newly-created wikis it looks more like discussion forums at this point.