Wikis

This week's discovery exercise focused on wikis and how libraries might be able to best use them. The most popular and well-known wiki is Wikipedia, which is sometimes helpful and interesting but not all that trustworthy since anyone can edit a page. (I once had an English professor confess to purposely putting up incorrect information about Mark Twain on a Wikipedia page. It's still there, too.) While wikis aren't always the most reliable sources for information, they can be beneficial. For libraries, I really like the idea of having book review wikis. This allows customers to voice their opinion and for others to see what is being said about some popular titles. I also like the idea of a subject guide wiki, which would allow users to share their personal expertise. Though wikis might not be the best resource for researching a person like Mark Twain, they can provide unique ways for customers to interact and become more involved with the library they frequent.

Thoughts on Library 2.0

When I hear the term Library 2.0, I think of a continual and necessary evolution of libraries and the services they offer. In a blog entry concerning Library 2.0, librarian Michael Stephens writes, "One of the principles I would add to the Library 2.0 meme is that 'the Library is human' because it makes the library a social and emotionally engaging center for learning and experience." I find one of the key concepts of Library 2.0 to be participation from both librarians and the public who they serve. Stephens' idea that a library can be a place of social and emotional engagement is a really interesting and important concept, but it can only be realized through mutual participation. That participation can come through many different forms, especially as libraries progress in areas such as technology. The type of participation does not matter as much as the participation itself.

Technorati

Technorati is the web's leading search tool for blogs. What I really like about this website is the search feature. This is helpful for finding blogs or blog entries dealing with very specific things, like fashion or photography or Learning 2.0 commentary. I like that Technorati allows users to search based on various bloggers' authority; this is helpful for finding better or more dependable sources on whatever topic you're searching for. I also like the Top 100 Blogs feature because it helps me discover different blogs I probably wouldn't have found on my own.

Rollyo

This week's Learning 2.0 project involved Rollyo. This is a site where you can make your own search engine by choosing sites you already use and trust. I created a search for cheap books using some of my favorite used book sources. I'm new to Rollyo and haven't played around with it much, but I think this site could be extremely helpful with anything from projects for school or online shopping. It offers a lot of possibilities and I like that about it.

Online Generators

For this week's Learning 2.0 project, the assignment was to check out some online image generators. I've been exploring some things on this image generator blog. Some of my personal favorites are these sites:

Make your own holiday sweater
Miracle maker
Oscar speech

Here is how my Oscar speech turned out:

"Thank you so much. But really, it's just an honor to be nominated alongside so many other quirky actors. I want to thank my agent, who stuck with me after I was found collecting that stapler. I'd like to also thank my weird family, and laughable paper cutter. I better stop now before I say something amazing. Thank you, and the British are coming!"

If speeches were more like that, more people might actually watch the show.

Exploring New Blogs

Today I spent some time exploring Technorati looking for new blogs to add to my Bloglines account. What I liked most about that site was their list of the Top 100 blogs. Some blogs I was already a fan of and others were new discoveries. Below are some links to some of my most recent additions:

Andrew Sullivan's Daily Dish
Smitten Kitchen
PostSecret
The Sartorialist
Stereogum
Apartment Therapy

Bloglines

Below is a link to my new Bloglines account. I read a lot of different blogs on a daily basis, so this is really a great service. Bloglines allows users to subscribe to all of their favorite blogs and news sources, enabling users to check everything at one site instead of spending time going around to several. I am all for anything that saves me time.


http://www.bloglines.com/public/AndreaRebekah