Midwest Library Technology Conference Session Web 2.0

Here I am at the session on Web/Library 2.0 at the Midwest Library Technology Conference at Macalester. So far the conference is great and I'm learning more about Web 2.0 which is a win win situation. I have a long day because this afternoon I have to set-up exhibit and present an ELM session at 4:30. I will be very glad when the day is over and I can go home and relax.

Thing 23 Conclusion

I thought this was a great experience and though I knew about most of the tools I never would have actually tried all of them. I feel more competant and comfortable now as far as web and library 2.0 go. These tools make so much more sense once they are actually used. Thanks for the opportunity!

Thing 22 What I Learned

I learned a heck of a lot. I knew it was easy to do all this stuff you just have to have a chunk of time, whether it's 5 minutes or 20 minutes just make a move. I will definitely be keeping up with Library 2.0 since my job requires me to stay abreast. I will also be adding a lot more feeds to my Google Reader since I've found that is the best and most time-saving way for me to see what's new. It can also be really fun to use some of the 2.0 tools, though I do wish I had more time to play with them.

Thing 21 Other Social Networks

I like Ning and I think that it is a good idea, but like most of these social networking sites, you need to have time to spend on it in order to get anything out of it. I like the idea that within a social network you can create a smaller and more specific social network. I checked out Flickster and that's cool. I use the "community" feature in Netflix with my sister and friends so I recommend movies for them and vice versa.

Thing 20 My Space

One thing I noticed at HCL's My Space page, or it might have been Denver PL's, anyway, was that authors could post announcements, like, "Hey, my book is coming out in just a couple days!" That a great, and free, way for them to advertise. My husband has a My Space page and he uses it in a lot of ways. He can exchange ideas, information, and thoughts with friends, and friends of friends, he can post announcements and get announcements from others, he can meet people, and converse with them. There really is a lot you can do with these sites. That YouTube Common Craft episode really did a great job of explaining social networking sites. I briefly had a My Space account but never used it and forgot about it. I think it is a great way for libraries to get in touch with generation that used Facebook and My Space. I think it's a great way to make announcements and to get information out to a specific audience.

Thing 19 Podcasts

I have not used / listened to many podcasts. I really like how Kristen Mastel, here at MINITEX Reference Services has used them. I guess I didn't realize that I could add them to my Google Reader service. I added The Current's Song of the Day to my blog and that was so easy! I thought that the podcast directories were really easy to use. I'm just not sure how useful they would be in my day to day life.

Thing 18 You Tube

You Tube can be educational but I really feel that is more for entertainment purposes than anything. I tried to embed a couple You Tube videos in my blog but it seems to keep cutting them off. I'm not sure why or what the fix might be. I like the video that I chose because it really demonstrates how things change and stay the same. It is so antiquated it's really interesting to me.