I enjoyed looking over the Web 2.0 award winners at SEOmoz. Many of the two point oh challenges were easy and familiar to me, but I found a few interesting sites at SEOmoz.

What did you like least about Web 2.0?

I’m glad the challenge was implemented so quickly after the committee was formed but I wish I could have been even sooner. Many of our patrons have been asking for help (since I began working here) with 2.o apps and so few Librarians were knowledgeable enough to help.

What areas of Web 2.0 do you think the library should get more involved in?

The library must allow users to access this technology. Why isn’t there a music downloading station in the Library? Why can’t people bring their iPods and iTunes gift certificates here for use? We have to find ways to accomodate usage of 2.0 hardware as well as the software. Why are there so few PCplus machines?

What Web 2.0 services have you shared with your friends and family?

My family has become familiar with Flickr, MySpace, and Facebook thanks in some part to me.

Look up Web 3.0 and predict what you think it will be.

I’ve been reading a lot about Web 3.0. Many believe it will be a semantic web: ”an evolving extension of the World Wide Web in which the semantics of information and services on the web is defined, making it possible for the web to understand and satisfy the requests of people and machines to use the web content.” These people see the eveolution of the web like this. The early web was machine to people. No interaction. We simply took information from the web. Only developers and programmers were providing content. Web 2.0 was people to people. It’s all about generating|sharing|commenting on content.

Web 3.0 would be machine to machine. “The semantic web is a vision of information that is understandable by computers, so that they can perform more of the tedious work involved in finding, sharing and combining information on the web” [Wikipedia]. I believe, in order for machines to understand machines and make “intuitive” decisions, something will need to be done about standards.

But I believe Web 3.0 will also involve huge advances in hardware, where touch screen capability will compliment a highly developed semantic web. Keyboards, the mouse, and low pixel per inch resolutions will become as obsolete as the operating systems they now run with.

I use an iPod and have iTunes installed on my home computer. I have used it to subscribe to MuggleCast. Whether I will have the time to listen to podcasts regularly is another matter. I find myself using my computer less and less during my personal time.

I took this video during a weekend trip to Columbia, South Carolina for a two-day grass volleyball tournament called The Clash. I love YouTube and have been using it for about two years now. It’s easy to upload photos and share them with family. So much easier than having to download an assortment of video playing software (like Quicktime, Flash, RealPlayer). This video features my boy Luis and our friend Daren (whose triples team ultimately took second place in the Men’s A Triples division on Saturday – they really rocked) getting the action started the MINUTE we touched down in SC. They couldn’t even wait to get outside before the popped the volleyball out of the bag and started peppering.  

Then I spotted “City Guides and Reviews” so I clicked over to Yelp.com, a delightful site for anyone preparing for a trip. First, I browsed some places I already know (mostly my favorite restaurants in DC) and I found the reviews to be accurate and the information about each restaurant was given in great detail (take out services, hours, address, reservations, parking, prices, etc.). As I prepare for ALA in Anaheim, you can bet I’ll be using Yelp to find some nearby yummy local hot spots.

Another site I really like is farecast.com. I love the left hand toolbar (it appears after you do an initial search) allowing you to narrow results (airports, departure and arrival times, airlines, prices, etc.). I think it just replaced Orbitz on my list!

I’ve used Google Docs for various collaborative projects: tracking school visits, outreach stats, SAIL projects, etc. I also use Google Docs to track my training hours. That way, whenever I’m up for a review, my supervisor can easily see all the training I’ve completed. Virtual spreadsheets have made it easy to track volunteer hours, allowing assistants and temp workers to contribute data. Basically, anything you used to do and share via flash drive/floppy, you can now do seamlessly virtually.

Is there a project currently that you’re working on where Google Docs could help or save time?

Once everyone in my department is comfortable using online tools (thanks to the OCL challenge), I do think we could use something like Google Docs. The major obsticle for using anything computer related is that much of the staff in my department share a computer. This can often make getting things done on a computer less efficient than using paper!

My contributions to the sandbox include a link to my fabu blog and a lovely hockey banner. GO FLYERS!

I was actually in TR Info Services as Ms. Cronin began her fight to the death with The Wikipedia The Wikipedia watch dogs certainly do not like it when articles repeat information from another page. And, having an IP address that any nutter can use to make changes on Wikipedia made it difficult for those watch dogs to recognize legitimate additions and edits. Yikes! Well, at least you know there are people monitoring and some amount of quality control procedures in place. It does make me feel better about the veracity of the entries but I will always view Wikipedia as a base from which to hunt down more scholarly material.

One Wiki I am fond of is PBWiki. I’ve used it to post data and files for small classes I’ve held. We also used it for the Virtual Branch and that was interesting.

Yes, database interfaces are confusing. They are dissimilar. They require a masters degree to operate. This has to change. We must demand more from vendors. We must set metadata standards. We must allow for interoperability between library systems, online collections, and the rest of the web. This goes beyond the field of Librarianship. However, I believe we can be teachers. So many people are computer illiterate. They don’t know how to use basic programs like Word and Excel (much to their detriment). We can provide that training. Why should our instruction be limited to the use of library specific resources?

The “come to us” model should not be disregarded but it is only half the job. We must take our services outside the physical library, however, we can afford those high tech gadgets/services that will draw people to us. For example, gamers are flocking to libraries to play console games on projectors and flat screen TVs against varying opponents. Where else are they going to get that for free? Why not use that to draw people in? Why not have kick butt work stations, decked out with scanners, color printers, iTunes, lots of USB ports, multiple monitors, touch screen technology (lets get ahead of the curve when this hits). Sure, it’s expensive. But it’s a big draw and how else will the average patron aquire it? Allocate some of that print resource money to technology, keep your staff trained and get the tech support. But that’s just my opinion on bringing libraries into 3.0.

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Chip Nigles reiterates some well-know methods of intergrating Web 2.0 techniques and applications with library services in his essay “To More Powerful Ways to Cooperate.” Based off O’Rielly’s fundamental principles of 2.0, many of Nigles idea have already been implemented by libraries like Hennepin County and the Ann Arbor District Public Library. Allowing users to comment, edit, add, etc. is the fundamental principle of 2.0. The usefulness of this thinking is clear. How often have patrons complained about the disconnect between library subject headings versus vernacular? Nothing really to argue against here. If anything, Libraries need to get on board, and quickly!

There are so many interesting blogs (many covering fancy new technology or innovative methods of using old technology) that it’s hard to keep up! I wasn’t surprised to see Engagdet listed among the most popular blogs. I’ve heard of it before. But my preferred method of reading popular blog posts is to head over to Digg.com. Maybe it’s just habit or maybe I like the interface better, but Digg is my destination. I’ve found many good posts that way. I’m not really someone who subscribes to particular blogs (after all, posts can be infrequent and quality erratic on any one blog). But Digg’s method of user submitted posts and popularity based on other members digging up those posts, brings the great stories to the front, or, just like Technorati, you can delve into a specific area of blog news: business, finance, sports, etc. Both often feature technology related stories though. Which makes sense; People interested in Technology blog.