Beginnings - exploring blogs and flickr

The background reading made so much more sense, once the tasks had been done, so back-to-front here are a few comments.
The KPMG report was interesting from a business/social point of view; it discussed Web 2.0 - our Library 2.0. It describes the decline in the cost of media distribution and development of tools for sharing; data is no longer handled by the experts (taxonomy) but by web-users e.g. with flickr, users tap into their own work. News is now accessed differently; generation Y are the most active users - a "financially fearless tribe". Ebay has even stolen sales from charity shops, and "the digitised consumer expects no limitations". There is a change in the balance of power from the keepers of knowledge to the users - the students, readers, customers, etc. Wikipedia is a public negotiation over knowledge; YouTube has 18 million people producing stuff they think will have appeal, and it is now a case of "niche interest not global interest"
The techno-geek/librarian Meredith Farkas was very readable, not too much jargon. She admits there is no coherent definition of Library 2.0, but learning 2.0 has exposed us all to the social technologies, a plus. "Trying to capture the essence of Library 2.0 is like trying to capture the wind". We should only use this emerging technology if there is a real need, and assess continually. She runs an on-line Uni course which people share (the DRUPAL classroom) and give comments on students' blog posts. Are the technologies TOOLS or TOYS? Each library has a different culture and different needs. Hard-to-access books can be digitised, also a plus in terms of time and convenience. Using Myspace and Facebook, in a two-way process, patrons can request items, the library gives them progress reports. There could be problems with inappropriate comments and their removal. But, does such social chat belong in a snack bar and not in a library? Does it trivialise? Personal data could be accessed by prospective employers, who could Google a person to check their life-style, interests, persona, etc.
David Lee King was also very readable, with his "spectrum" ranging from the Luddite position, in 7 stages across to the participation position. At stage 4 the lightbulb goes on, and one starts to assess and trend-watch. Paul Saffo I also found interesting with his 3 fundamental human desires:
*to be of use *to tell stories *to collect stuff
all enabled by technology!
Images such as "in cyberspace there is no distance between 2 points" really started me thinking along new lines. I had the impression that Library 2.0 is a very amorphous term for most people, and we must continually assess.

This is a trial run for blogging and flickr, as part of ssclearning2.0. Just a short text for practice.... very close to my heart are animals, and I am watching with interest the campaign to ban whaling of any kind, be it humpback, fin or minke. Dr. Tim Flannery said this weekend however that he is not too concerned about the extinction of these species, but rather that of smaller marine animals. Closer to home I aim to preserve animal life; ten years ago I came across a tiny black kitten, a mere scrap of life, left behind in a remote paddock by her feral mother who had been startled by our approach. As there were foxes around, it was decided to foster her; she was bottle-fed around the clock for 5 weeks until she weaned herself, and is now a feisty "bush kitty" who sleeps on the bed and has her besotted owner picking and hand-feeding blades of grass as a tonic every morning. Included in this family is an old dog who helped with her development (grooming, cleaning the waste, and socialising) and a wonderful 30 year old registered Quarter horse who has just weathered the equine flu (you little champion!)
Sadly in January old age caught up with him. RIP "On Target" (registered name) aka "Tramp" (paddock name) 1977-2008 A true champion

As Alan Titchmarsh said in his recent book Nobbut a lad: a Yorkshire childhood:
"Dogs command affection, cats command attention, and horses command respect"