The Five Things

  1. open source & open sources
  2. collaborative and "social" information
  3. disruptive tech & repurposable content
  4. "the tubes" and "the cloud"
  5. local knowledge & content

Anatomy of a "social"-ite

tools & things I actually use for work and home

email/chat

websites

social sites

Tools vs. Brands

things to think about

blog/microblog

common brands - blogger, twitter, wordpress, movable type, livejournal
used for - sequential posting for one or many people, syndicating content
not good for - non-linear structure, graphic design
caveats - "first have something to say" choose your tool carefully

wiki

common brands - mediawiki (wikipedia), pbwiki
used for - collaboration, multi-page sites, getting content online fast
not good for - controlled content, total beginners
caveats - easily spammed, easy to prevent spamming with a little work

im/chat

common brands - AIM, gtalk, Yahoo IM, MSN messenger, meebo, adium, pidgin
used for - short messaging to people already using these services, decent replacement for many 24/7 ref tools, keeping in touch with YA crowd, inter-office discussion
not good for - non-tech savvy public, one-to-many discussion
caveats - must make sure you keep/don't keep logs in accordance with privacy policies

social networking sites

common brands - facebook, myspace, ning, linkedin
used for - staying connected to people, sharing information, friend of a friend connections
not good for - broadcast messages, chat, people not already on the network
caveats - privacy, honesty, easy to get in and then say "what's this for?"

photo sharing sites

common brands - flickr, smugmug, picasa, zoto
used for - hosting and sharing photos
not good for - multi-user accounts, lowest possible price, commercial images
caveats - some technological capability necessary

How are libraries using these tools?

How could libraries be using these tools?

Free and Simple - Testing the Waters

Find a Blog to Read

Interact with Blogs

Chat using Instant Messenger

Start a Blog

Read RSS Feeds

Use Wikipedia & Join the Community

Join a Social Software Network

One link per question - some answers

Which libraries are using __________ successfully?
Library Success Wiki libsuccess.org
How can I get beginner students started using a mouse?
Mousercise! pbclibrary.org/mousing/mousercise.htm
What is a good source for library news online?
LISNews lisnews.org
How can I browse through library blogs from different types of libraries?
Blog Without a Library - blogwithoutalibrary.net/links/
What is a good source for library jobs?
LIS Jobs lisjobs.com
Where are some social software policies libraries have used?
Web2Learning has a list web2learning.net/archives/1250
What are the things people want to do on a website?
Connect, transact, and find out goodexperience.com/2008/03/
What are some technology learning projects that really work?
23 things/Learning 2.0 - plcmcl2-about.blogspot.com/
Why is learning technology no longer optional for librarians?
Libraries & Technology page w/ examples dpi.wi.gov/pld/librarytech.html
Where can I get data to support moving towards new technologies?
Pew Internet Life reports www.pewinternet.org
Where can I get tutorials about learning some of these technologies?
College @ Home collegeathome.com/blog/2008/05/29/
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