"RSS" Really "simple" syndication

I must admit at first I was a wee bit intimidated by this particular lesson. The "discovery resources" left me slightly bewildered by their familiarity with a lingo and a purpose that I really don't relate to. "Really Simple" just did not fit the bill for my initial reactions towards this lesson. I think the initial hesitancy was due to the fact that I do not check in with about "80 websites" daily, nor had I really ever considered doing so. However, now that I have about 12 feeds going and I have marinated on the values of this technology I feel it is pretty FANTASTICALLY AWESOME! I struggled the most while trying to track down sites, which often yielded no "rss" capabilities and I became concerned how I could possibly "fill-in" 10+ "feeds"being the novice that I am. This is when I discovered the wonderful "200 Favorites" listed on the bloglines website. Through this tiny beacon of simplicity I found myself tremendously satisfied with the initial struggles I encountered comprehending the new techno-jargon I was previously feeling bogged down by. Through this method one can immediately subscribe to a variety of fascinating sites w/out going through all of the trouble of actually tracking them down as I had attempted for my first 6 or 7 sites. Now I find I feel very fortunate to have a blogline b/c it provides me with an extended network of interest that is available in one stop without having to navigate repeatedly through the web. As a personal user I am growing increasingly fond of this virtual culmination of my interests, though I am not quite sure in what ways it would be of use to the library as a whole. However, I feel that there are tremendous advantages for staff as well as patrons understanding and utilizing feed based technologies as they really save a great deal of time and encourage keeping a very large network of interest in the most readily available and accessible way.

Wiki Reflections

In my perusing of several library relevant wikis I found the use of wiki-technology used in a variety of very useful and interesting ways. I was particularly fond of the Book Lover's Wiki which provided rated reviews on a wide range of books that I found very useful and interesting. The example of the ALA New Orleans Wiki was also very useful in demonstrating the advantages wiki-technology can offer a large group that may or may not be in a close physical proximity to one another in that it allows a virtual space where everyone can contribute and distrubute valuable information w/out having to resort to a multitude of emails. Overall, I find wikis to be a very useful resource for libraries, however, when using them as a source of "true" information such as wikipedia offers I feel caution should be used as there are no requirements on these sites to authenticate the source for the information.

Lesson #1

This first lesson plan provide some very interesting general info. concerning how the term"Web 2.0" has developed over time and how the internet is being reshaped as a result of the new technologies. The focus of "2.0" seems to be geared toward the user who is allowed much greater liberty to add to, alter, and participate directly in internet applications. Libraries are also discovering the virtues of these technologies and the benefits they can offer to patrons, thus many libraries are begining to intergrate the various technologies that appear to have useful application in a library setting. I look forward to discovering in what ways these new technologies can be applied in the coming lessons.

Who, What, Where, and Why

My name is Alisa Burns and I currently work at the FANTASTIC Boulder Public Library in Boulder, CO. This blog is my attempt at working with some of the new technologies "2.0" has to offer in order to better serve library patrons as well as increase my own some what limited computer know how. I will be utilizing this blog to document my progress/ comments as I move through the 10 step program to discover just what "web 2.0" is and it's potential applications in a libarary setting. Stay tuned...