# 16 The Wiki of Collaboration

The word that stays in my mind about Wikis is COLLABORATION. Wikis foster collaborative work amongst groups whether that be the community, amongst libraries, amongst patrons & other groups. Wikis combine interaction amongst multiple groups or can be specific to a designated group.

The downside of the Wiki is that spammers or malicious people can vandalise entries where control is too loose.

According to Meredith Farkas, Wikis can be "used for intranets, research spaces, collaborative projects, creating documentation & editing text".

It would be useful to create subject guides for the library from the Wikis. Librarian can use the wiki to add useful resources to the collection. Simultaneouly, this environment encourages the prunning away of dead links. There is use for annotating the catalog with a wikis. As long as wikis functionality is immersed into the catalog, then patrons can submit reviews for the books read. In turn, when other patrons are not sure whether they will like a book, the review can provide them some insight. Interestingly there is potential for a Community Wiki on an area of interest decided by its community members. This kind of wiki can supply community information to the local community whereby its members are inclusive of its entire process. Librarians too will benefit from a wiki. Amongst its many uses, we can use it to develop ideas for the next library project. As per Farkas, "it's a better way of organising the group's efforts & keeping track of where everyone is in the process". The wiki aids to keep track of the flow of conversation in emails. In this case, the effect is that the wiki stops librarians from reinventing the wheel.

I am excited to see Brimbank Libraries institute their first WIKI soon.

# 15 It's many things to many people

It seems applicable that Library 2.0 is many things to many people. There is use for instant messaging to meet end users in their space online. Riemer advances federated searching of all the separate silos, that are currently local catalogs, union catalogs, e-resource management systems, abstracting & indexing databases, institutional repositories, & local digital library collections. Many libraries have invested in the expansion of metadata to the WorldCat. An increasing sum of money is being allocated to e-resources than print formats. For those yet to implement, libraries can take advantage of incorporating RSS feeds for patron selected e-journals. There are opportunities for setting up internal library wikis. Even the creation of a blog to inform of upcoming library events. Of course, user education will be critical to pass on the emerging services to patrons. The possibilities are endless if libraries are not constricted by cash flows. Even then there are other barriers that must be factored into the equation concerning our demographics. Nevertheless i will make the best outcome of the given situation.

But i can say that i will not stop dreaming for the opportunities to come my librarie's way!

# 14 Discovering Technorati

I gained some realisations out of my Technorati experience. In a keyword search one can designate searching blogs containg the following options: any authority, a little authority, some authority, a lot of authority. Different search results eventuated when the same search (Learning 2.0) was carried out with the former options. For example, 5,970 results eventuated when some authority was applied to this keyword search. On the other hand, the result changed to 5,198 when a lot of authority altered the search in blog posts.

Additionally, there is a visual representation of the above results in graph format which consolidates its numerical figures.

As opposed to blog posts, there are 830 blogs about Learning 2.0. Interestingly, Technorati records the number of fans a blog has gained. Currently, 2¢ Worth holds 95 fans. Even video & photo results can come up for designated search.

In an equivalent tag search, 967 posts were tagged with Learning 2.0. While no photos came up in a keyword search containing Learning 2.0, the same tag search did produce photos.

Under a directory search, 830 blogs containing Learning 2.0 were recorded. The same results were gained from a keyword search of blogs containinig Learning 2.0.

These are my discoveries!
blog

#13 Del.icio.su about bookmarks

So far i have created 65 bookmarks on my Del.icio.su account. I must say that i have not even reached half way yet on this bookmarking task.

I have a new URL for all my bookmarks, that is, http://del.icio.us/mariaf
This is rather cool as now i can access my bookmarks from anywhere, not just from home or work.

Not only can i access my own bookmarks, i can also check out what others have bookmarked. It is also great to view the popular and recent bookmarks as well.

Additionally, Del.icio.su enable end users to see the comments & tags made by others on the same bookmarked site.

Now i will continue to bookmark my other favourites toward the Del.icio.su. I better keep going as i have a fair bit to bookmark.

# 11 I'm on about LibraryThing

The sidebar contains my LibraryThink catalogue. I invite you to do a search. Find an interesting resource.

The widget displayed in this post will recommend some resources worth consulting.

Apart from creating a virtual library, you can share what you are reading with others.

#12 The Rollyo Potential

Rollyo gives the potential to create a customised search engine. It allows the search engine to be made out of your trusted sites. Search engines can be geared toward specific interests. For example, a search engine can be geared to search for EVENTS or JOBS, etc.

'Why don't you test out my Rollyo search engine for yourself'

#10 Check out my Slide Show!

#9 RSS Search Tools

Playing can be considered a form of learning. I have gained a working awareness of the RSS Search Tools that i now have at my disposal. These RSS Search Tools include Topix.net, Google Blog Search, Feedster & Technorati. I cannot comment on Feedster as the page is out of action given that the makers are reworking the web page. I found Topix.net particularly handy for finding news feeds relevant to journalism. Topix.net allows keyword searching. Google Blog Search enabled me to find the 23squared blog which i have been trying to locate. My commendations to the creator of 23squared in its style of instructional support offered in the Web 2.0 learning. I have referred to it for support, & found it to be most helpful in my case. Thanks to 23squared. Technorati was great in enabling me to locate a podcast i had been meaning to get my hands on, being the Steve Abrams address to the SC Technology Institute on libraries, technology, and change. The aforementioned podcast is available on:http://www.technorati.com/videos/youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DOgHY69loi6A

HAPPY LISTENING!