Thing 30-Summary

Ah, the end. I did get quite a bit out of this training. Yes, I would "attend" another of these sessions. I may not want to use many of these "things" myself, but it's important to know they're there and how they were created.

I believe this took more time than was expected, and maybe it should have been broken down into several sessions. There was also some difficulty, at times, with sites being blocked and exercises not being allowed by the city firewalls.

Overall, however, it was a fantastic effort to bring staff up to date with Web 2.0. I applaud the designer and implementer of this project, I won't name names, but you know who you are. It was and still is a daunting task to get this kind of training to a successful end.

Oh yea, and I hope the training stays up, in case I need a refresher on one of the things!!!
Thank you for all the hard work and effort.

Thing 29-The experience

The Learning 2.0 class was enlightening. I had been already exposed to the end products of many of the features mentioned in the training, so it was interesting to see how these things worked and that I could utilize them myself, if I wanted .

My personal preference is to not put myself out there everywhere for everything on the Internet, but it's nice to know that I'll know how if I ever have some overwhelming urge to "speak" out.

From a library perspective, many of the features were invaluable. They provide a cost effective mass broadcast tool to get information out to and back from our customers. Sifting and sorting through all the massive amounts of information and presenting it in a digestible form to end users will probably always be an ongoing task.

Thing 28-Rollyo

I can't see reinventing the wheel, as I have no special interests that aren't already out there. I can see specific interests driving the development of specific search engines. I believe the Johns Hopkins Univ library podcast was discussing one they developed, JHSearch. It had area specific search engines and was soon going to allow students to develop their own set. I can't remember if Rollyo was the product, but it must be something similar.

Thing 27 - LibraryThing

If you want your reading preferences out there for everyone, this is the place. People who like to share what they're reading and critique it to anyone who'll listen, also have found a home.
Neat product for small libraries who can't afford the more formal cataloging services.
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/loanzoner

Thing 26 - Online image generator

Ah yes, more toys to play with to assist with creative ventures. I found a Tibetan alphabet translator that will transliterate your name into Tibetan script.
http://www.chine-informations.com/mods/prenoms-tibetains

Kinda fun when you get tired of seeing your name written the same ole way...

Thing 25-Podcasts in libraries

I listened to the Johns Hopkins Univ. library podcast on a new research product. This can get the information out there to those who are interested and they can hear it on their own time.
The internet is providing a very cost effective method of information delivery. One time training that can go on forever...

Thing 24-Podcasts

Just like flikr, I noticed the tags that one can add to a podcast so that it can be searched. All of this online input would be a hopeless quagmire without some time of organization to pull it up.
So, if you have an interest you can narrow down your search for podcasts using the tags.
Makes sense to me.

Thing 23 - Youtube

I have been sent many Youtube sites, mostly funny commercials or Christmas choral groups. A handy site for things that are interesting to see but will never be on TV. Actually, I have seen Youtube videos on TV too. It's an amazing conduit for anyone with a film clip or photo montage.
I have included the Central Library anniversary pics site for my selection.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXITznW6Gxs

Thing 22-Flikr applications

I chose to look at Mappr which offers a map where you can overlay photos onto areas of the map. This would be a nice way to summarize a cross country vacation, or one where you took to the road.

Thing 21-Flikr tagging

It's pretty cool that a picture can be in several groupings at once just because you tag it so. Now it doesn't have to be in one spot or "copied" to another group, like a "horses" site or a "beach" site, if you have a horse on a beach.

I'm very glad there are folks out there who think of these online innovations, so that I don't have to!

Thing 20-Flikr

I believe Flikr can save a lot of paper and webspace by having folks go to the site to see photos, instead of "mailing" them out to everyone. I went to http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/beach/ and looked at beach pictures from all over. The tagging option was definitely a cool way to bring items together in a photo site.

Thing 19- Web 2.0 awards

I looked into several items. The one I explored was BackPack. Kind of like Outlook, but maybe a little more user friendly. Of course, there's lots of stuff out there, if I want to spend more than my 8 hours a day on the computer, which I usually don't...

Thing 18- Technorati

Well, it's part and parcel of trying to organize this overflow of everyone's input.

Thing 17- Tagging, del.ici.ous...

I have attended on online training where the trainer supplied a wonderful site with "delicious". Any time during the session that someone from the training supplied a pertinent website he added it to the list. I have bookmarked this for my work and it's a truly wonderful resource. So, yea, this is pretty cool.

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.