Del.icio.us, tags, and Library 2.0

I first heard of Del.icio.us when I was in library school. I was in our computer lab, probably working on a paper, and I overheard a couple of other students talking about it. I looked at it briefly but didn't really think about it much after that(probably because I have trouble remembering where to put the dots, and what's the point of using a URL that you can't remember?), although I did hear about it on periodically. Looking at it now, I do see it as useful, although I tend to just keep my list of favorite websites in my head. I can see it being useful, though, especially if I were to use multiple computers on a regular basis. It would also be particularly useful in situations involving roving reference. I guess that's part of what Library 2.0 means to me - the ability to share information and resources that we find useful in ways that make them more convenient and likely to be found. That's not to say that everything works or is a good idea for every library, or even every person, but in this networked world, we have to figure out ways to make the technology work with us.

I found Technorati to be a good place to "visit," although I'm not sure I'd want to encourage my blog to "live" there by using its tags. Perhaps if I wanted to keep a "professional" blog I'd want to be listed, but I generally try to keep my non-library life offline, or at least make it difficult to find. Besides, I already have plenty of ways to lose hours on end (especially now that I've learned about so many through TLC 2.0)!

Wikis

Although I've used wikis before for various reasons, I've never done any editing on one. I must admit that I'd rather use html than the tools provided in the pbwiki site to apply styles, but that's mainly because it's easier to just keep the fingers on the keyboard. The mouse is just so far away! Okay, maybe not. :) But despite the bad press sites such as wikipedia get, wikis are tremendously useful. I've taken classes where students in group projects used closed wikis as a collaborative medium to share thoughts, ideas, and their work. In libraries, wikis can be especially useful to share information and ideas among library staff.