Infopeople's Wiki

This is the entry I posted on Infopeople's 23 Things Wiki:

Flickr is useful in the library setting when you want to share pictures from an event, but do not want to worry about sending large graphic files to multiple emails. Instead you can share your Flickr information to distribute the pictures to many people.

Adding to the Wiki was so easy, I suppose one concern would be people adding erroneous information to your wiki. If someone becomes a problem, I do know you can block them from adding infomation in the future.

Wiki Sites

I looked at some of the following sites:

https://wiki.lib.umn.edu/

http://library.hud.ac.uk/wiki/Main_Page

http://library.hud.ac.uk/wiki/Main_Page

http://www.seedwiki.com/wiki/butler_wikiref/

Wikis

I tried siging up for a wiki on two different websites, pbwiki and wetpaint. Both were easy, but I like the templates on wetpaint.
The main advantage for a library to use a wiki for their website is that all employees can post to or modify the page. This means no submitting the information to the IT department and waiting for the information to be posted or worrying about miscommunication. Staff can post, update, or correct information immediately. Patrons can easily add comments or book reviews, also.
I know some libraries use wikis internally instead of an Intranet site. One library I am familiar with posts current facilities issues, meeting schedules, and other information for the staff on the wiki. This seems like a nice option for everyone to keep up with branch issues especially if there is more than one shift working at the branch.

Library 2.0

The more I read about library 2.0, the more I think it is just a way for us to reach out to new customers. More users are becoming technologically savvy, so we need to stay current to lure these users to the library. I think many librarians are motivated by the fear that libraries will become irrelevant in a time when people can use their cell phone to look up information or download e books at home. Personally, I don't think this is true. Of course I want to stay technologically up to date, but the truth is that most patrons are not technologically advanced. Everyday I help people who have trouble using the mouse or have trouble filling out a simple job application, and I am not just talking about the elderly, many 20-30-year-olds are not computer literate. Nonetheless, I do think we need to start using some of the new social software, but I don't think we need to get crazy about it and make our libraries or websites so advanced the typical user gets lost finding their information. Exactly what social software we need to incorporate is something I am still exploring. Some of the tools I have learned about thus far are fun for home, some have already been helpful in creating book displays, and what is still up for debate in my mind, is what tools would be helpful to incorporate on the library's website.

Technorati

I think what many of these web sites come down to is people trying to connect with other people who have similar interests. In our fast paced society where most people don't even know their neighbor, people are looking to connect with others. That is one reason MySpace is so popular, teens are making friends with other teens online.
The main reason I would use Technorati is to find people who are interested in similar pastimes so I can see what web sites, books, or stores they find useful and fun, since I may like them, as well. Technorati would be useful for finding out the "buzz" on current topics, too.
I keep thinking that someone needs to do a dissertation on the whole social web site phenomenon.

You Tube

I skipped ahead to You Tube because Technorati is just not fun! I am really not interested in other people's blogs, whether it belongs to a stranger or a friend, so right now I can't imagine a scenario in which I would search for a blog by subject. I'll go back to it again, though and give it another shot.
You Tube on the other hand, is more fun to use. I've been to the site before, usually as a link from a friend in an email. Most of the time it's been some funny personal video or commercial, but I have just discovered they have old cartoons on the site, and even clips from television shows. I just watched an old cartoon that I've been searching for. Once I missed an episode of dancing with the stars and the next day I was able to see some of the dances online. Someone must have taped the show and then loaded it one the site that same night. What I am wondering about is the copyright implications.
I haven't tried out any other video sites so I will have to search for those.

Del.icio.us

I see the point of delicious now, that you can access your favorite websites from any computer. It was easy to set up the account and the toolbar, but it seems like the link takes over your toolbar. Each time I log on I have to turn off the delicious toolbar so I can see my other links. Maybe I am just doing something wrong. Also, I share my work computer with someone else, so the link showed up on their toolbar as well. If I don't continue to use this site on a regular basis, I will just delete the link.
The social bookmarking aspect is an interesting concept. It's fun to see what other people saved as their favorites, since I may enjoy the same websites, too.