#6 & #7 Really simple or dumbing down.....?

Newsfeeds are a clever use of technology, possibly for those on the run, or more probably those who have way to much time on their hands. I have known about newsfeeds for some time but have never wanted to engage really, just too much information. I find it hard enough keeping up with the email lists about work issues that I subscribe to, these are very useful I have to say. I guess if you hone your subscriptions it would be good to have that select group of feeds there at the ready, it is convenient. I'm not keen on the Google reader layout, it's a bit clunky looking. I'll keep an eye on my feeds for a while and see if I actually do find them useful, or if it is just too much. I think it's that sensation of being cluttered, or a sense of feeling obligated to read these things once I have subscribed that really puts me off. Also the sense of not being out there on the web 'on the hunt' so to speak, finding new information or sources, being locked in to the subscriptions I have. That's it for RSS from me.

#4 & #5 wikimadness.....

Survived the wiki exercises. I can see that there is a great deal of useful application for wikis, particularly in the library and information world. I like the idea of people sharing information, in fact it is one of the things that I still find astounding about the internet generally and this new capacity to communicate globally. People who would never have been aware of the existence of others who shared a passion for a particular topic can now talk accross the globe. Of course, this is probably a little scary in a way.... Anyway, wikipedia is certainly an amazing tool, as long as the validity of the content is not taken as "fact' without further investigation. So here is my point of complaint. I think the younger generations, who grow up with this technology WILL take anything on the web as gospel and there will be so much misinformation out there. But maybe this is where society is headed and 'close enough is good enough' will be the new accuracy. As a librarian, I am afraid I still feel that there does need to be some sort of control of information from respected and responsible sources, such as libraries. It is great to have the public adding favourite books, or commenting on pictures etc, but it needs to be made very clear that it is the public and that the library catalogue and information remain as an authoratative source.
Having had a play in the sandbox, it is obvious how easy it is to change information, pretty much word processing on steroids. The technology behind it however, allowing us to do this is extaordinary.

Follow the sun

I haven't advanced my web 2.0 skills any further and it will have to wait for three weeks now, I'm off on holiday. Looking forward to relaxing on a beach, reading, swimming....



But of course the essential technological gadgets will accompany me, ipod, mobile phone, digital camera...and all of the cords.....



Until I return to the world of work, farewell.

in the beginning........

Well, here we are doing Learning 2.0 and after a frustrating time setting this blog up (it kept insisting my email address already existed and then when I tried to login to a 'google' account' it said my email did not exist........technology huh? Gotta love it! Never having been a very good diary keeper, it will be interesting to see how long I can keep posting to this blog!

I'm into technology in a big way, pretty amazed at the pace at which it is moving. I created a webpage for my workplace way back in the first days of the world wide web and spent copious hours HTML coding......how things have changed.

That's about enough for my first post I think, adieu.