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

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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! This micro blogging technology has been most interesting for my personal use, particularly since I am such a political junkie. It fascinates me how Twitter can be so popular among celebrities and politicians at the same time.

As for professional use, I think Twitter is quite relevant in that sense. It seems like many people have used it successfully for marketing, so like any other organization, it can be used to market library products and services. Blogs, however, seem to be the technology tool that many libraries have embraced. It was fun researching the different ways in which libraries have been using blogs, and my group decided to explore one of the more unique ways to use blog software (as a way to develop pathfinders). What surprised me the most in this class is realizing that web 2.0 is less a function of generation differences than it is a function of exposure to the technology. I always assumed that baby boomers like myself would be less receptive to these tools, but I am finding that this is not so.

 I can’t really think of any improvement for this course. I think it had the right balance of exposure and practice to the different technologies out there. At first it seemed overwhelming to learn so many new terms and names of the different kinds of software, but after a few weeks, I really looked forward to the next lesson. Using Drupal was an experience (mostly positive except for today when the site was down!) that was unique and rewarding. I especially appreciated the fact that our blogs were more informal and that you can associate the blog post with the classmate’s picture (or at least a representative avatar). That made it a lot easier to engage with my classmates as opposed to the more formal format of Angel discussion posts. Overall, I would sum up my experience in this class as very worthwhile and valuable to my future in the world of libraries. I would definitely recommend this class to all MLIS students!