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

What do you think are the most important features any virtual reference service should have?

There are three things a virtual reference service should have to be effective.

The first is a good reference librarian. If you have a mediocre reference librarian, no matter what you else you have for virtual services will only be mediocre. Technology can only enhance, you still need a good base to provide good service. I think that is forgotten sometimes.

I am very surprised at how many use facebook and myspace. In reality these sites are is almost and quasi student and alumni association. And the great thing is that people are taking part in this; unlike say an alumni organization where you ignore when you get the postcard.

Look many people have (had) websites that were updated once. Here these sites re updated motile times a day. In is really great to see people being so proactive.

Mint...

Think of mint as a one-point hub for finances. That is fine, but what caught my eye is that it will (or can already) use a word-cloud to show things such as expenses and what not.

This seems like a good thing to for financial. It might be one thing to see that 1/4 of the money goes to rent, it might be another thing to see how that stacks up to other things like entertainment and leisure.

5 Ways to Sell Social Media to Your Boss

This is nice little article on ways you can get a boss (or committe) to try and adapt to soical media.

I think parts about planning is a great point. Some times we just have things to have things and have no real use of them. Why having a RSS feed is nice, if you never you use it seems silly.And who want to look silly.

RSS is more than just a computer language. Netscape developed it in 1999. I find it ironic that first Netscape makes a giant step in web browser (web 1.0), it then designs the foundation for Web 2.0. Where is Netscape today

It is something that really makes the web come alive. It looks the static web, and helped create the whole Web 2.0 which in turn gave us Library 2.0

In a comment the other day, Grace asked me the following question:

Blogs aren't magical. I think a lot of libraries start blogs expecting them to help the library forge a deeper connection with their patrons and then are disappointed when they find it doesn't happen. Very little attention is paid in library blogging to writing style, which ironically is such a huge determinant of the success of a blog.

In 2005 and 2007, I conducted surveys of librarians who blog, examining demographics, behaviors and motivations. In 2005, there were 165 respondents, while in 2007, 839 bloggers filled out the survey. The results might offer you some interesting insights into who blogs in our profession and why.