I recently joined LinkedIn. A friend sent me an invite and I was hesitant, but then I read a convincing article that pushed me In. I like that you can find people so quickly and easily, share projects you are working on, and ask for recommendations. I also like that you can search other people’s profiles to see who they have been working with / what they have been working on, to see if you’d fit with them.

WikiHow:

I love that WikiHow includes instructions for such a range of things to do.

Not only can I go here to learn “How to Skip Rocks” or “Get Rid of Ants,” I can also learn How to Break Up or How to Be Inspried by Victoria Beckham.

I love that people are co-creating answers for how to improve people’s lives. (Though I bet some entries are more jokey than others.) Love the random feature. Love the related posts feature.

List Managing:

I signed up for Ta-Da and immediately decided to switch to ToDoist. Why? Because it is more integrated, therefore I am more likely to use it. I can share it with more things. And I can group and prioritize with hierarchies. I can use keyboard shortcuts! And the how-to section with video makes it all very easy to understand. Now, if only their was a nag function.

I have a feeling I will start working for folks on DoMyStuff. How excitiing! I get to pick and choose and sort by category of job!

Dodgeball would be a great tool to use with books. You could have a list of books you want, and when you check in, if any library nearby has one, then it would tell you where and how far. Maybe you could combine it with getting someone who loves that book to deliver it to you. Then you’ll fall madly in love because you like to same book.

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Perhaps people could use Wiki How to instruct other people on how to use library services. (That would be in addition to staff posting to the Wiki.)

I wrote in my CA Statewide Reference Think Tank application that Web 2.0 is the one 21st Century technology that I couldn’t live without.

FOUR: What is the one 21st Century tool you cannot live without? Why?

I could not live without the benefits that Web 2.0 has brought to the Internet for many reasons. Web 2.0 helps me stay in touch, but on my own terms. Sometimes I only find out about local music shows if I am hanging around local musicians and when I am busy and not involved in that scene, I might miss out. Now, if someone I know, or even a stranger (whose music I know I enjoy), is a “friend” of mine on a website like MySpace, I can find out about their next show via bulletins they may post or via a calendar they may choose to update. I can also sample music unknown to me for free by visiting different musician’s profiles. If I choose to look at who my friends are friends with, I can also begin to explore their selections, with some degree of trust that I will appreciate their choices.

I could also not live without Web 2.0 because of the benefits of folksonomies. I love exploring people’s del.icio.us bookmarks to see the other interests of people who have tagged the same websites as me. It leads me to discover new websites, which can lead to all sorts of new discoveries. I have yet to master search terms like “cookery” when searching for cook books while working at the library, and doubt that many of the library users have this awareness. When using sites like del.ico.us, the ability to tag information with language that makes sense to me seems revolutionary.

The potential to combine other Web 2.0 innovations like Twitter and Jott also allows me to connect with people who have access to a range of technologies. Non-Internet users can follow a Twitter feed of mine using Jott and their telephone to stay updated. And by using their phone and Jott, they can create content to be added to a Twitter feed.

Geoff Hing’s presentation at the 2008 Allied Media Conference inspired me to choose Web 2.0 as the topic for this answer. His Web 2.0 resources tagged for the conference on del.icio.us led me to this insightful article.

I do not think Web 2.0 is a passing fad. I imagine that in the future, Web 2.0 along with other technologies and changing social trends will create a more participatory culture where people are more willing to volunteer their time/knowledge/skills to contribute. (Granted, this will probably be random and on users own terms).

I would have liked it if they listed the file size and duration next to the link.

The Alden Library Podcast Tour is broken into 1-3 MB file sizes, as well as the possibility for the entire tour all together in a 15.3 MB file which has 15 minutes of audio. [I'm posting sizes to prove I visited the site.] Nice to have download options. I can’t listen to these now, but the idea of a library tour like a museum tour sounds fun. Reminds me of cell phone audio tours I’ve seen. Would think the library should invest in something like this instead.

Podcast.com

• Play the welcome message in the top right hand side of the screen. (check)
• Use the search box to search for a podcast you would be interested in listening to (searched “performance art”)

When was the latest episode posted? I cicked Chicago AI…

Art Institute of Chicago Musecast
The Art Institute of Chicago, an encyclopedic museum representing a world of cultures, presents audio news on its exhibitions, programs, performances, and projects in the podcast series, Musecast. Hear the voices of artists, musicians, curators, and many more in each episode. And visit us in Chicago or online at http://www.artic.edu/aic.
last updated: 4 weeks, 1 day, 7 hours, 17 minutes, 11 seconds ago (<<–last update)

browsing by subject…

I’m surprised that Forum Nintendo Radio is under the “gadgets” heading. Wonder if they ever discuss original NES (still have mine from when I was 7!).

YouTube

Spotlight on “100K Battle Wake Up Show YouTube Promo!” Huh?

“Internet – from the 1990′s point of view” gave it 5 stars under dexisswell… made me smile.

“Walnut Creek Library Demo 2 of 2″ – Why is water being sprayed?

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• Tell us about your experience searching for podcasts and video:

I didn’t know podcast.com existed before. I’m excited about checking that one out. I wonder what are the most used podcast sites. I’ll research that next. I learned at the CA Statewide Reference Think Tank that in 6 months YouTube surpassed all the content ABC has ever produced. The power of us!

• Does Contra Costa County use podcasting? How could the library use vodcasts and YouTube?
  

Yes, we podcast storytimes. We also have a video from the Reading Festival. (I wonder what talented staff person recorded it?) The library could use vodcasts to have more author talks and commentary. Seeing examples of programs on video is one more way to draw people into the library. Commentary engages people on their side. Also, we could distribute more of the content available on CCTV.

I chose Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer.

“for youth services librarians and anyone else interested in web 2.0 and its opportunities and possibilities for library youth and young adult services”

looks useful, especially since younger people are more likely to give new technologies a chance.

1. On your blog created in Week One above, briefly describe a library event you received in your bloglines account.

I received a summary of Manga Club. Describing the event with where and when as well as what I could expect if I chose to go. (I already know this though–it’s my event!

2. Did this exercise help you understand RSS Feeds better?

Yes. And I think I will use Bloglines now to stay updated on relevant information.

3. What problems did you experience along the way?

Sometimes when trying to subscribe, the link for my query wouldn’t copy immediately. After a few tries it always worked though.

YAY!

I’m thinking of ways we could use this internally, in addition to possible reference purposes. If you knew someone would be at a computer, you could send them updates or files as needed.

In big libraries this might be nice instead of having to call someone like the branch manager for help, you could just ask them the question on IM.

If you want to add me, my Meebo id is “dana.aleshire”

I have a del.icio.us account from a while back. Perhaps you want to join my network?

Also, I recommend taking a look at these Web 2.0 resources collected for a presentation at the 2008 Allied Media Conference by Geoff Hing. (I feel lucky to have attended the conference and Geoff’s workshop.)

http://flickr.com/photos/poopinator

I think the main reason I don’t blog in my personal life much is because I am afraid that what I say will be held against me in my professional life. Though, I have always been a connector/networker and love to share information (which is probably why I love working in a library!) — so a blog seems like an obvious good idea for letting people know what I am excited about, what I am up to, etc. I mean, that’s what is so great about Web 2.0 in general, right?

Anyways, thanks for reading. I’d love any comments.

-Dana Aleshire, Library Assistant: San Pablo Library: Contra Costa County Library