Reading about web 2.0, and the struggle to define it with certainty, made me think about how I use the internet, and how it’s changed drastically in the past year. I suppose it could be attributed to the activities that fall under the web 2.0 umbrella, but, like many of the authors of this week’s blogs and essays, I’m unsatisfied with that term. It feels more and more like a buzzword that means very little the more I read about it. I understand the need for a name to give to this web revolution (web-olution?), because how can you talk about something without giving it a word, but why do all of these activities have to be looked at as a cohesive whole?

Library 2.0?

The most controversial idea for me, as a librarian, came from the OCLC newsletter the idea that building a physical collection will become a thing of the past, and that it should, hurt me a little. Even last year at school, they were still advocating building up a print collection – one that complemented online resources, true, but not everything is online, and I’m not sure that it should be. I’ve also spent the last 8 months on co-op working in a collections department, and I’ve seen how vital the work is to a library (though that may change in a few years, if the predictions about digitization and online accessibility come true). I think that using web 2.0 tools to better serve patrons (users, clients, etc.) is an awesome idea – but can already see arguments against it (many of them raised by those more astute than me. I can see myself being an advocate for read/write web tools in a library for the future, and for getting started today, especially because it seems so simple to start a blog or wikki, to set up a group on facebook, or start a video podcast series on youtube. Of course, when the “boss” looks at the amount of time allocated to such activities, and can see little material gain (I expect), they may not be valued by the company at first – though the potential for opening the library up to more users, and to serving a completely different group of people is real, and should be taken advantage of.

Groups vs. individuals

I also really liked the dialogue about groups vs. individuals, and how social interaction online is changing the way the web operates, and how we expect it to operate. The story Clay Shirky tells about not leaving a party until someone else does makes complete sense – and I think a good web 2.0 representation of it could be groups on facebook – I’ve been part of groups that lose their vitality, and think about leaving them, but I usually don’t until I see on my “news feed” that one or more of my other friends has left – then it’s okay. I think the ideas of groups and individuals in the virtual environment is not that different from the physical or “real” world, but it is interesting how activities are being so easily adapted into this online environment, and how, now that I’ve had it pointed out to me, I can recognize behaviours I didn’t realize were being exhibited.

My web 2.0 participation

I recently changed jobs (went from my co-op to another library job), and have seen a vast difference (going from non-profit to a legal library), but not just in format and environment, but also in attitudes towards technology. Within my first week at this job, I’ve set up a meebo account so my project group can keep in contact with IM and also group chats, we’re looking at using facebook, and talking about blogs and wikkis at meetings is common. What a change coming from a place where all of these types of applications were blocked (facebook, myspace, youtube). It has been a week of big change, especially with regards to 2.0 activities (because of course, on top of work-related activities, I started this course and this blog). I’m looking forward to seeing how these types of tools can be used in a supportive environment, and how my own usage patterns will change based on my experiences this summer. I guess I’m ready for the adventure that 2.0 is almost definitely going to provide for this summer and ultimately into the future.

On a side note, I really enjoyed playing with the html code of this post. Haven't done that since my first semester.