LIBR 246-12: Web 2.0 and Social Networking Tools (Fall 2008)

Using Page2RSS

Prior to this assignment, I've used both types of virtual reference technology and have an idea on what to expect from each service. AskNow and Meebo have different interfaces. AskNow is more like a chatroom while the Meebo interface is a widget on the library's page. It took a while to get a response from AskNow because I had to first fill out a form and and then wait for the system to connect and then wait for a librarian to pick up my question. The librarian was busy and mentioned that she was working with other patrons.

My search for how many people were murdered in AZ led me to a virtual service from the Maricopa Community College district.  Here is the transcript:
Hello, Matt (No email provided)

Chat Transcript: How many people were murdered in our state in 2005?
CostaLib: Librarian 'CostaLib' has joined the session.

I used AskNow and Google Talk for this exercise.  Here is the transcript of my commercial virtual reference tool experience:

It’s a great service. It is a very convenient service for library patrons. It’s an online reference desk. To be honest, I have never used it before. However, it’s less intimidating than asking a librarian at the reference desk. I was able to ask those questions without explaining to the librarian the reason why I was asking these questions. I had a good experience and I am impressed with these librarians who answered my questions.

For this exercise, I chose the first question. I went to the AskNow website to use the QuestionPoint service. I have actually sat it on a reference session with one of our librarians at my work to see what it was like from the professional perspective. It was very interesting. However, I had not used the service to ask a question. I was very pleased with my experience. I didn't wait long at all for a librarian to log in and start chatting with me. Also, I was so thrilled when the librarian pushed a website to me!!

Part 1

I chose question number 2, “What is the Gross Domestic Product per capita of Bahrain?”

Part 2

ISLC Library

I've never had a MySpace or Facebook account, but I am familiar with both. I've thought about signing up for a Facebook account before, but I just never got around to it. Because of my very busy life, I figured I would never really have the time to update my virtual one. Case in point, since my husband's parents live out of the country, we decided to set-up a Flickr account, so we can keep them posted on what's new. I have not uploaded new pictures since April.

I enjoyed making a page for a library this week.  It was so easy to make a page that had so much info like hours of operation.  It is alos easy to make events and send invites to them. There are so many great things that can be done here for churches and businesses too.

I placed a few library applications on the page such as Citeme, Worldcat, and JSTOR.  I would have liked to place Meebo, but it didn't seem to fully load.

I was not able to browse the slis network since it din't like my email account.  I think I needed to not have the sjsu portion specific to the school.