#23 The 23rd Thing!!

Well, that was one exhilarating experience. I must say I have learned more in these 9 odd weeks than I have in the three years I spent in uni doing my degree!!
Web 2.0 has given me tools and access to information that I knew existed but not in that vast extent. I really enjoyed visiting sites like Flickr and LibraryThing.
I'm sorry I didn't put more pictures and stuff on my blog but time is always a factor when doing this. I am glad it's over but happy that I've learned a lot in the process!!

#22 Ebooks

Project Gutenburg was highly different to what I had imagined it. I suppose the trend now is changing to ebooks and I think this service that they offer is good for those kind of people.
I had a quick search for authors I liked but found a myriad of others who had written much more interesting things. Downloading is probably simple now as most people have broadband and others rely on stuff like RSS feeds and such.
I must say I was a bit overwhelmed by the sheer amount of things that were available there.
They even advertise for proofreaders!! It's so amazing what is there!
I must add though that I'm from a generation where we enjoyed turning the pages of a real book and thrilled at the ability to keep and hold a world of imagination in my hand!!

#21 Podcasts

Yeah, the end is in sight!!
So I went and checked out Podcast.com and found out that it was a very interesting site with access to literally hundreds of cool and interesting feeds. As requested I just did a search for stuff on book reviews and such and found one called "Book Recommendations, Blog and Podcast: Books on the Nightstand". It turned out to be an interesting place to experience book reviews of latest books which looked really tempting!
I have added this to my Bloglines account and think getting feeds of latest book reviews is helpful as it's already been read by someone else!!

#20 YouTube

Well I went into YouTube and had a good look at the various videos that were there. I did a search for TV programs I had seen before and I found some really good excerpts from ones I used to enjoy laughing at. I really liked the videos on YouTube as there were so many of them to choode from. Occasionally there were some which weren't to my liking but that's one of the hazards of not refining your search I imagine.
I suppose some videos related to library applications can be posted onto the library websites such as virtual guides to help people locate items can be helpful in the future. But I guess things like these will inevitably enter into the libraries of tomorrow.

#19 Web 2.0 Tools

I must say this Web 2.0 stuff is really getting under my skin. If only there were enough hours in the day to go through everything with a clear mind as well!!
Well, since I like travelling I looked at the winners of the that category. There were some really good ones there. People can atually compare prices and find the cheaper option. The Honourable Mention site was more like a place for people to share their own experiences and to find stuff like travel guides, hotel reviews and such.
In a library tools such as these could be useful as we can recommend them to people who come to seek our help in finding related information on the Internet.

#18 Online productivity

Another account created for the sake of higher learning!
I actually think ZohoWriter is an exceptionally interesting tool that will aid people in doing all kinds of work. I can see how students can benefit from such a tool. Especially when doing projects and assignments, ZohoWriter could really help the prospective student who finds it difficult to get started by themselves.
I am also impressed with the other products that are availabe such as spreadsheets and on line presentations.

#17 Social Networking

I went and had a look at the Bebo page set up by the Auckland City library and I thought it looked ok. Obviously I couldn't see the whole page with all the pictures and things but all in all I thought it was quite interesting.
As for MySpace and Facebook, well I wasn't able to have a look as they are blocked by council. I'll probably have to have a look later and comment on MySpace and Bebo. I actually know a bit about Facebook as I already have an account and enjoy sending messages to my friends.
I'll have a look at that Hennepin County Library link later and comment on it then.
Well, just had a look at MySpace and Bebo and I have to say they are both quite similar to Facebook. Bebo seems to be formatted for the tennagers and such.
I also had a look at the Hennepin County Library link and I actually didn't expect to find a Facebook profile! It looked really interesting and seems to be a very successfull profile as they had quite a lot of people using it. I liked the search bar for the library catalog and the Chat with a Librarian feature looks like it has been used a lot.

#16 On Library 2.0 and Web 2.0

Having read the article "Where will the next generation Web take libraries?" by Tony Storey, I found a myriad of information to answer several questions that had risen during the Web 2.o journey I have been on until now. I can see how the technology from Web 2.0 can benefit libraries in the long run. Sites such as Flickr, LibraryThing, MySpace, Facebook to name a few will be embraced in the near future and will definitely have a place in the virtual world that is created by Web 2.0.
On saying this I also think it will apply to the individual as well because there are still people out there who view things like Internet and the Web with a different perspective. I suppose there are always two sides to the coin and we will always have to think of ths in the times to come.

#15 Technorati

Technorati looked simple enough until I tried to do the searches as requested by us.
I had no idea that it could be possible to keep track of so many.
Doing a keyword search for blog posts revealed 9,745 in total and the search for tags ended with 1,188 in total. The difference is quite big. I did a serach in what I thought was the Blog directory and got the same number for blog posts so I've probably done something wrong which I intend to clarify when I have more time.
I have managed to do another search for Learning 2.0 in the BLog directory and I got 931 when I put the words in together in apostrophes so I think I wasn't setting it right!! That was a very different result.
The popular blog, searches and tags link was very interesting. It had all kinds of "top" lists of blogs by fans and such. The top videos were very intriguing.

#14 Tagging and Del.icio.us

I went and had a look at those links at the top first but for some reason it looked so complex.
So I went and looked in Del.icio.us and was amazed to find such an amazing tool was out there.
At first it looked like a huge list but going through the site and reading up what it was about and peeking through the Help gave me a bit more information.
I can see great potential for research assistants from Del.icio.us because then they can get to any number of helpful websites in any field with just a click of a button and a second away.
Yes, Del.icio.us is a very handy tool for librarians in my opinion!!

#13 Editing in PBWiki

I must say this was a very daunting experience for me. I've never done stuff like editing public sites and seeing my stuff there for all to see, but I think I actually enjoyed it!
I went and added my favourite movies to the others. It was interesting to see what everyone else had liked and had put down. I didn't go to see more as I seem to be a bit behind with my progress.
I'd like to add that I'm learning heaps more and actually enjoying this as the weeks go by.

#12 Wickis

Just had a look at the wickis included in the course. I just grasped the concept of Wickis and I can see how it can be interesting for some people.
I had a look at the Book Lovers wicki and I can understand how it can be a place for people to place book reviews and access the Princeton Library.
Library Success was more appealing to me as it had all sorts of links to library related processes and procedures.
I actually liked seeing the succcess stories there as well. I think Library Success is a place for librarians to access as much information as possible and add things as well.
I think that patron's own reviews and comments in the OPAC can be a positive that can be considered in the Wicki environment.

#11 New Technology and the global village.

To begin with I'd like to say that this Web 2.0 really did expand my awareness of all that is out there. I just didn't know how much and to what extent there was.
Now I'm convinced that this is definitely the future.
I thought that Flickr was an amazing tool for not only avid photographers but also for those who just like putting photos together into an album.
I can see how a digital camera and Flickr can benefit anyone with an interest in photography.
Going through the different tools available from Flickr made me aware of all that one can make and create with just a click of a button.
I would definitley say that I'm now a fan of Flickr and hope to use some of it in my peronal life as well.

#10 Flickr fun and mashups!

Flickr has some really interesting and cool stuff to it.
I went and had a look at Flickr Color pickr and I was absolutely amazed at all the colors that are there in the world. Who knew there were so many shades of light blue?!!
Then I had a look at Montagr as well. That took some time to load up, but I was impressed by what I saw as it loaded up. It took forever but eventually I could see that it was a huge mosaic of all kinds of faces! I thought it was made by someone who had a lot of patience!!