LIBR 246-04/13 Web 2.0 (Fall 2010)

This was an awesome course! There was so much to learn from start to finish. As far as my view of Web and Library 2.0 and social software goes, I have a changed attitude towards blogs in particular, especially as a method of staying on top of breaking technologies and new applications. Twitter surprised me the most as being a tool for keeping current. I had really just heard of celebrities posting ephemera-what they ate, rants, and so on.

To be honest, I wasn't aware of how pervasive social software was until taking this course - I heard all about YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, but I didn't think much about them. How wrong I was. Once I became aware of them, I started paying attention to the news headlines in the technology and business section, and wow, social media do come up a lot as major topics of discussion and analysis!

How has your view of social software changed since starting the course?

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When I signed up for this course, I was looking for something to expose me to the latest 2.0 technology without having to delve into actual programming or anything scary like that. I am so glad I was able to sign up for this class! I have completely changed my perception of social software. I use to think it was trivial because of the “social” aspect of it, but in the course of the semester, I was able to see how applicable and relevant web 2.0 tools can be for libraries. Of course, as many of you know, my favorite technology is Twitter! I just love it!

I was familiar with social software to a reasonable extent at the beginning of the semester, but this class really focused my understanding of how social software can benefit libraries. I loved that each week I was able to learn about a particular social software and see examples of how libraries were using the tool.

Before coming into this class I had only thought of social software in terms of library-to-patron communications.  I learned quite a bit about the importance of patron interaction in effective use of social media.  I also learned the value of these tools for sharing ideas within and between libraries.

When I first registered for this class, I posted the following message on my Facebook page: “Taking a social media class next semester, but being grad school I’m sure they’ll find a way to make it miserable.”