23 Things Number 13

I did a paper on folksonomies in library school and think it is a really fascinating topic. It is also, at least in my experience, a really divisive topic for librarians. People tend to love tagging or hate it. I actually think there is a place for both tagging and traditional cataloging in libraries. I think there will always be a need for subject heading lists, thesauri, and professionally trained catalogers. However, if any Web 2.0 applications are to be integrated into libraries, I think that tagging will have to be part of that because tagging is such an important component of Web 2.0. What is great about the Internet is the democratization of information (it is also what is frightening and alarming in many ways but that's a different post) and I think that allowing people to label their own information, without the aid of professional tools like subject headings and thesauri, is part of that process. Will tagging usurp cataloging. I don't think so. But I do think that tagging and other web applications will change what we do in libraries, not just for catalogers but for all of us.

23 Things Number 12

Ok. I did it. I'm not happy about it but I did it. I signed up for Twitter. I will not say what I am doing, however. I refuse. A girl has to have her principles. I am standing up (all 4'10" of me) and putting my (size 51/2) foot down. In all seriousness, I am adverse to the concept of Twitter. Why does the world need to know what you had for breakfast? Let's face it. Most of us, we're not that interesting. Coast Guard rescue swimmers? Iranian revolutionaries? Bear Grylls? Okay, you got me (though I bet they have about the same things for breakfast the rest of us do). Does all of this play into a sort of cultural narcissism where we all think we are so important that everyone we know wants to hear what we're doing every moment of the day? I think it just might. That and I am offended that Twitter "suggested" Ashley Tisdale as someone I might want to follow.

23 Things Number 11

I signed up for Yahoo's instant messaging service (I already had an account so it was easy and I'm being lazy) and my username is alexisackel. I haven't actually IMed anyone yet. I do wonder if all this technology is more distracting than useful sometimes. Between Facebook, Twitter, IM, email, cell phones, etc. it seems like we are more and more expected to be available all the time. It is increasingly possible for someone to contact us every moment of our lives. In some way, this feels like a loss of freedom to me--a loss of anonymity. Perhaps this is simply because I am a rather solitary person but getting away from everyone I know is sometime liberating for me. But what happens when the people you know can always find you? However, unlike some of the other Web 2.0 applications, I do see how IMing could be succesfully integrated into a library setting. I know a lot of reference librarians already use this application so that distance users can IM reference questions.

23 Things Number 10

I had never heard of Ning before this module. I think the idea of a social networking site that allows you to create niche social networks is a great idea. I found that the execution of that idea is sometimes lacking, however. Since I am a yoga teacher, I decided to type in "yoga" as my search term to explore Ning. Some of the social networks had really interesting ideas behind them like "Off the Mat, Into the World", others seemed like little more than marketing tools for yoga teachers and aspiring Rodney Yees (no offense Rodney). The commercialization of yoga is an issue close to my heart and some of these networks were really distasteful to me. However, my best friend is German and there were a suprising number of German, yoga-related social networks so I did tell her about it. They seemed to have generally fewer beautiful people twisted like pretzels. Hmm. What's that about?

23 Things Number 5

I had never used an image generator but it was pretty fun. I'm glad to know how to do this. This is the same picture I used before but with funny (I hope?) comments added. I particularly like Clifford's Bobby D impersonation.

23 Things Number 9

Speaking of Facebook friends, I accidentally confirmed someone as a friend who I really did not want to have contact with and that was a little traumatic (I have a yoga student with a very similar name and thought it was her). I have also had friend requests from various people I don't know or whom I barely know. I don't really understand "friending" someone you weren't ever friends with. I feel rather rude ignoring them, though, so it always leaves me in an awkward predicament. What is the web etiquette for that situation, exactly?

23 Things Number 8

I have had a Facebook account for a few months now but I rarely post. I check it a few times a week to see if anyone has any exciting news but beyond that it is not that useful or important to my daily life. The lack of anonymity is indeed frightening, at least to me. I don't post very much because, frankly, my life is not that interesting and I lack the talent to make it seem more interesting than it is. Some of this is writer's insecurity. I have several friends who are professional or semi-professional writers and I always worry what they will think about my posts. When I do post, it is generally about a good book or CD. I vow to never, ever be one of those people who posts about what I had for breakfast.