Wrapping it up!!!

Well I have finally finished my Web 2.0 training and am very pleased to say that I have learnt some great new skills, explored some exciting new sites, met some fun and like minded people (on-line) and expanded my knowledge of what the internet can do for me and people in the Library.
I feel very fortunate to be working in an environment that I love and one that allows for training such as Web 2.0.
Like many others, I was no stranger to Facebook or Flickr but I really liked that Web 2.0 allowed us to explore these sites more in depth as well as explore other sites that we may not have been exposed to before. For instance; I knew about Twitter but had never wanted to sign up because I thought Facebook was enough. However, after signing up for Twitter because of Web 2.0, I realise that there is a whole world out there of Social Networking sites, some of them very interesting, and not to cut myself short by only using sites that I was familiar with.
Blogging is another thing I feel more comfortable about now. As you read my Blog you may notice that my posts start of quite small, and gradually become longer as I grow more confident.
There were a few topics towards the end that didn't really spark my interest such as Geocaching and Podcasts but it was still great to be able to explore these topics that I was not really familiar with. In particular Geocaching - I had no knowledge of at all. At least now I know what it is.
I think it is important that people working in a Library have an up to date knowledge of the topics covered in the Web 2.0 course as it is a case of moving forward with the world and not being left behind or being stuck in the dark ages. Most of our patrons are familiar with computers and use many of these sites or would like help from someone in starting up. It is truly wonderful to be able to help our patrons and offer them not just Books but a Library with up to date, exciting and current services.

Geocaching

Okay, either I am missing something or I am just a very unadventurous person. I really just don't see anything fun or exciting about Geocaching. I had a good look at the "Geochaches Near You" and saw that there are quite a few sites listed near my area. Without being rude I just have no desire to pack a picnic lunch and go searching for them.
I am not really sure of their use to the Library, although someone mentioned an interesting point about a link between branches and a common theme.
I think children and maybe teenagers would find Geocaches appealing and in that way, as a parent, it would be nice to take them on a drive and go explore. However, I would rather take them on a nice drive to the Zoo or the beach, not necessarily looking for mysterious Geochaches.
It would also be really horrible if some not very nice people left some nasty surprises behind which I am sure may happen in some parts of the world.
Sory if I sound harsh or negative but Geochaches are just not my thing. I would be interested to know if anyone else shares my point of view??

Podcasts

To be honest podcasts for me have been the least favourite topic we have covered whilst undertaking the Web 2.0 course. I am more of a person who likes to see and visualise whoever is speaking to me. For that reason I couldn't imagine someone like me ever enjoying Audio Books or Playaways. I don't want to hear it, only read it or visualise it.
I can see how they can be valuable in a Library and I appreciate some of the great ideas such as using them for Guest Speakers and Lecturers. I think they could also be used for talks from Authors and even reviews from Bookclubs.
Someone mentioned that Heritage Trails already make use of Podcasts which is great and I think for that same reason Art Galleries could also benefit.
Whilst I am not a fan of Podcasts, I do appreciate Tripple J's use of them and enjoy the Live Music Feeds and Unearthed Pods. Maybe I just need to move with the times a bit more and discover a few more fantastic podcast sites.

Online Video

Another fun session, exploring online videos.  I use YouTube from time to time and love looking at music clips.  Here is a song from my youthy/grunge days that I absoloutely love.  Please note that this was a long time ago and also that the video may make you a little dizzy.



So I have copy and posted, fingers crossed that this works.
I enjoyed looking at Library Videos - the Best Of.   Some Libraries have some pretty cool concepts.
I would love to see videos of some of our regular craft activities and posted on YouTube.  It would be a great way of promoting just how fun our Library is.

Twitter......tweet, tweet

What a fun topic to study is Social Networking!!!  Hard to believe we are actually studying/working.  I have been a member of Facebook for sometime and went through a period of absoloutely being addicted to it.  However, in the last six months or so I have had issues with privacy and went through a period of deleting most of my photos.  I think the privacy setup is extremely tricky to navigate around and have more than once considered deactivating my account.  Just recently, I was what you call compromised.  Someone was sending messages to all of my friends regarding making money.  I had to reset my password and my privacy settings and it was not particularly the easiest or most pleasant thing to do.

Twitter on the other hand.....oh what fun.  I reluctantly set up my twitter account as asked to do by Web 2.0 and was pleasently surprised to see Tweets from some of my favourite Celebrities.  I had never been interested in joining Twitter and still am a bit unsure about what I should be Tweeting about.  Is Tweeting the same as posting a Facebook status?  I did a search on some of my favourite celebrities such as James Franco and Oprah and can't believe that they are all Tweeting.  Is it really them????  This is all new to me but I am sure I will be spending a bit more time on Twitter these days and less time on Facebook.

Tagging, Delicious and Library Thing

This week has again been interesting but a little more difficult, I think.  I had no problem in setting up accounts for Delicious or Library Thing, but I had a lot of trouble in setting up a Widget. Thankfully, a buddy from work steered me in the right direction and I managed to set one up on my blog. 
I quite like Library Thing.  I found it a useful tool for Book Lovers like myself and also Libraries.  I could easily list some of my favourite books that I have read, and liked that I was able to be selective about the Book Covers.   It is definitely a site that I would explore in my own time in more depth and I think it is a very useful tool for patrons and staff in the Library. Some of the features I like are the Book reviews, Book recommendations and Forums. Forums for me are a great way of speaking with other like minded people about books we love. It is almost like being part of a book club without going to the meetings in person.
I found exploring Delicious interesting, although not as much as Library Thing. I believe it is a useful site and I liked the Clouds feature and the way it points out to you your favourtie subject and then suggests a number of other relevant sites. I am not really sure if I would use Delicious as much as I would use Library Thing. I tend to use Favourites for keeping track of all my favourite sites and this seems to work for me. I do like how things are Bookmarked and Tagged. It does make for easy tracking and searching. Perhaps I need to spend more time on this site and become more familiar with it. It is obviously a very useful tool to many others.

Wiki's

This week we have been learning about Wiki's.  I have to admit initially I didn't know what they were but as I read on realised that I use Wikipedia all of the time.  Wiki's are an extremely useful tool and I had great fun exploring the Learning 2.0 Basics suggested site of the Twilight Saga..
I like the way you can search for Wiki's on your favourite topics. For instance, I love photography so I did a search on Photopedia and came up with http://www.fotopedia.com/ This is a great Wiki that acts as a collaborative photo encyclopedia and online community for all those photography buffs.
I also did a search on True Blood wikipedia and found a most comprehensive and accurate account of one of my most favourite programmes. It is amazing how much information we can find on the internet. Gone are the days of leafing through mum's old brown encylopedias, world of wiki has it all.