Task 18. Take a look at some online productivity (word processing, spreadsheet) tools.

Big goose egg. I promise I'll try this later -- count me as finished with this task! I'm trying this from my Mac at home, and couldn't access it on Safari. Trying to load foxfire looks easy, but I wasn't successful in doing it (where the hell is the "applications folder"???

Tasks 16 and 17: Wikis

Wikis -- and YouTube -- are probably the Web 2.0 apps I use the most, since Wikis have been incorporated into everyday practice at my library: We have a staff wiki wherein resides the staff schedule (which I work on); and our events page is now a wiki. It was my first time editing and adding content to a wiki, though, with this exercise. Very easy process. Clear why anyone and everyone can alter or create entries on Wikipedia... I put my 2 cents worth in about adapting the wiki tool to the Spanish speaking members of our community.

Task 15: Perspectives on Library 2.0 and the future of libraries

Time to muse already? There are so many more tasks to complete, and the request for a summation at the end. I have to admit to only skimming the Library 2.0 and "Library 2.0" article. Why? The print was too small for me to read comfortably, and the usual tricks for enlarging didn't work. Too bad, because the snippets I did squint at looked very illuminating. A rational, measured approach summarized by the undeniable observation that some aspects of Web 2.0 will work, and some won't. Also, I noticed, "Take a deep breath and relax." Good advice. The Wikipedia article had some useful information. I use Wikipedia, but bring a dose of skepicism to my reading of it. Really, dudes, where's the authority? But often unbeatable for summaries of info. Oh, except for World Book. World Book still has excellent (and authoritative) information. Oh. Is it retrograde to mention that?

Task 14: Technorati

What was I just talking about? See Thing 13 for the beginning of a rant on the randomness of tagging, which I feel inclined to develop after exploring Technorati. None of the tags I entered led me to anything I really wanted, or wanted to read. I tried Library 2.0 tags (from Library 2.0 to Librarian). I tried fave pop culture things. Okay, I got lots of hits with that one, but they were too obsessive and creepy to read. The underside of social bookmarking: the creepy/obsessive factor. Not to mention the Who Cares Factor.

Task 13: Social bookmarking and Del.ic.ious

Okay. I already have a Delicious account and have found it very useful as a filing cabinet for odds and ends. I only wish it had folders, so I could organize things better. Why are there such an absense of folders with all these 2.0 applications? Tags aren't quite the same thing, though I suppose they are de riguer for the whole social aspect. And another thing about tags: pretty random are they sometimes, just like people's minds. I bet there's a debate raging amongst the librarian class about the controlled vs uncontrolled vocabulary nature of tags. You do get some idiot tags, though, and idiocy limits the usefullness, I've got to say. Or is that too elitist? Too professional, maybe. It's certainly worth bringing up, anyway. Same sort of problem as with Wikipedia, come to think of it.

Task 12: Rollyo

Interesting concept. Of limited use to me personally, since (is it so wrong) Google is fine for most searches, and it's easy enough to go to the sites where I usually go. Obvious application at work in gathering together much-used sites and sites on the same topics (e.g. Reference Shelf, with dictionaries, etc.; children's lit sites, and so on). How has Michele aggregated sites and databases by topic on our newly reorganized webpage? Via a Rollyo-type thing? The usefullness of organization by topic is instantly recognizable as useful to library users.

Task 11: LibraryThing

Easy to use; very easy to sign up for. Fun, too. Instantly interesting to see who else has added one's own selections, and explore their other choices. As a library application: aren't there other ways of sharing this information that actually link up to the library's catalog instead of to LibraryThing? I wonder how other libraries are using this.