What's Next and Looking Back

Finished! Yeah.......I found the Web 2.0 Exploration Project fun, exciting and challenging at times. I think it's important to know what is going on out there in the world of technology and how to understand and use it. After all, the field of "Information" is our business. I am currently using and recommending some of the tools (zoho, flickr) to our patrons. Kudos go to the staff that put this package together and allowed adequate time (1 yr) to complete it.

Social Bookmarking

Well, I surfed several social bookmarking sites and found them quite interesting. I decided to try del.icio.us first and did a basic search for best laptop computers and was taken right to PC Magazine which listed the Top Ten. I also threw in the key words "Stuffed Peppers" for fun and found several recipes. The San Mateo Library tags were ok but I would probably use google and or our own history databases if I was looking for information on the civil war for a student. All in all, I can see how social bookmarking would be useful.

Wikis

Wikis is a great way to share information if you serve on a committee, team or planning a family reunion. Several library system committees (Borrower Services, Long Range Planning & Materials Management are currently using wikis as a way of sharing and getting imput from all members.

Online Office Tools

The Online Office tools (Zoho Writer) was very basic and interesting to work with. I would recommend this site to our frequent patrons who forget their disk or flashdrive. The fact that it saves your document from the very beginning is a plus and that you can access it later anywhere with an internet connection is wonderful. However, I would caution a patron working on legal documents from a security point of view.

Library Thing

Love this site! Books popped up quickly when I entered the titles. I hope to compile a list of my favorite children's as well as special subject areas. Look forward to adding more titles and viewing other lists with similar interests. Library staff may want to compile a list to share with their co-workers.

RSS Feeds

I used Bloglines as my feed reader. I can see where this would come in handy and save time logging in and out of web sites just to catch the news or wanting to know what is going on in Libraryland on a state or national level. The library system should try a feed on the homepage to highlight monthly system events or branch programs. It would reach those folks who don't even look at the Happenings online.

Flickr & Photo Sharing

Wow! What a fantastic site of photos of everything imaginable. I can see why the Library of Congress is using this to help identify several photographs in their collections. I personally like the idea of being able to use the privacy settings so viewing can be limited if desired. I will recommend this site to many of our artistic patrons at the library. I have helped several artists and students search for photographs in books and magazines for special projects. I often use Google images and will now add Flickr to my list of suggestions.