Thing 16 - To Myspace or not to Myspace...

I have chosen not to make a presence on Myspace. To be honest I'm having difficulty keeping up with all the other presences I have online, so I'm not going to make another.

I have visited the world of Myspace through my child, and seen what people choose to put online, it looks easy and there's no accountability about what goes in. Adults can represent themselves as children and children can represent themselves as adults, resulting in some potentially dangerous situations.

I believe this is a type of generational reaction, to put things online that shock and gross people out, to impress peers, etc. I have visited sites of kids that I know, and have seen flights of fancy that make me a little nervous. So let the young folks have this site, I'll stick with other methods to "make my presence known".

Thing 15-Myspace phenomenon

One of my children is an avid Myspace user, so I'm familiar with the concept and perception from a younger generation standpoint. It certainly allows a freedom (good and bad) to express oneself to a wide audience with little effort. But, not everything is worth expressing and sometimes the fantasies that people create online can be a little scary.

With staff manning the IM line, do we have enough staff to monitor and respond on a Myspace site? It's easy to think that this will connect with the younger crowd, but given the type of site this is, I don't know if this would be as effective as some other methods of communication.

Thing 14 - RAWiki

This is a great way to append information from many sources. The reader's advisory is a great place for a Wiki. The process was fairly easy.

Thing 13 - Wikis

Thing 13 - Wikis. I really like the idea of Wikis. I have frequently refered to the Wikipedia online as a starting point for answering a question. The point I have to remember is that it is just a starting point for information and not the final authority on a subject. The library and university sites I visited were informative, and I can see a very effective communication tool that continually updates, if necessary.

Thing 12 - IM and reference interview

I just IM'd through Meebo and asked a quick question. It was quick, and I imagine that once the reference folks are used to the process, they will be able to answer short questions quickly and efficiently. It seems a little stilted for an indepth or more involved question, kind of choppy.

Like everything else, this process will evolve.

Thing 11 - IM and libraries

I have watched my children orchestrate multiple conversations using IM. I was amazed, then annoyed, when as we were trying to do something on the Internet together, there were constant "interruptions" as responses were "vital". A generational thing then, the constatnt back and forth bothered my child, not in the least. I was going crazy.

In the world of multitasking, this mode of communication seems to win hands down. I have used IM technology when contacting service support for my computer issues. It was helpful and sure beat waiting on hold on the telephone. Simple questions (like grocery market express checkout for a few quick items) would be great in library world. More involved questions, may still need that face to face or voice to voice contact.

Thing 10 - Setting up RSS feed reader

There were a few "bumps in the road" to getting this set up, but once I got the hang of it, it was pretty simple. I went to the Library of Congress website and loaded RSS feeds from there, not very orginal, but got the job done. I also loaded some listed with the reader, and then "practiced" unsubscribing them.

On Thing 5- Sharing thoughts on Library 1.0 and Library 2.0. A friendly discussion in the office reveals a general feeling our library, at least, has always been interactive with our customers. The new technology of blogging, online reference,etc. offers another avenue for communication, but it's an extension of what already is happening. I think that losing the "face to face" exchange to the type written word is kind of sad, yes, it's quick and easy, but much is lost without the visual or "listening" cues that accompany a non-virtual conversation. Web 2.0 should be happily used as an adjunct to communication, but not an excuse to opine just for the sake of filling virtual airspace.

Thing 2- 7 1/2 habits to help in lifelong learning.
Comments: The steps are logical, and some I already practice to some degree with my study of languages. Finding the time seems to be the most difficult obstacle in the process