The next thing you need to do during week 1 is to set up your own weblog, or blog. You may already be familiar with the term, but if you aren’t, a blog is a type of online software originally created for the purpose of journaling, though it doesn’t have to be personal. Posts can be on virtually any topic. The software works very much like a word processing program such as Microsoft Word or OpenOffice Writer.

What you need to do

You need to go to a blogging software website such as Blogger.com or WordPress.com, both of which are free, and set up a blog. Blogger is a subsidiary of Google, so if you already have a Google account, you may wish to use Blogger to save yourself the trouble of creating another user ID and password. WordPress, on the other hand, is open-source software, and is the site used to create this blog. If you have another option you prefer, or are already using a blog, feel free to use your favorite — just let us know where your blog is so we can follow it.

If you’re new to blogging, don’t worry too much. Each of the major blogging sites has its own instructions and will walk you through setting up an account and getting started. You’ll be writing in no time.

For this exercise, you’re going to use your blog to write about your experiences working on the 23 Things project. Each week, you’ll write a short post about what you accomplished and how you felt. It doesn’t have to be lengthy, but we’d like to know what you’ve learned. You don’t have to continue writing once you’ve completed the exercise, but watch out, you may decide you like it!

If you’re concerned about privacy, that’s OK, you don’t have to use your real name. If you want credit for completing the project, however, you need to tell us where your blog is.

Why it’s important

Though people use blogs for personal writing, they’re also using them for marketing purposes. Even if you don’t write much in your blog, you can show others in the library field what you know, and you can use it to network with others. Your library can use blogs to update patrons on current events and other library news.

Most blogging software, WordPress and Blogger included, permits comments on blog posts. You can turn this feature off, but you may not want to. Comments allow your patrons to share their thoughts with you and with one another. This generates a sense of community around your library blog. You may even get more websites linking to yours. That will boost your popularity in the Google search rankings, and you’re establishing your institution as a thought leader in the community.

Once you’ve started writing, and you’ve told people where the blog is, your patrons will tune in and start following you. And if you use a standard blogging software, it will automatically create an RSS feed for you, which your followers can use to follow your blog.

What’s an RSS feed? In week two, we’ll find out.

Twitter is a relative newcomer, but has almost singlehandedly launched the microblogging genre. Twitter users write short (140 characters or fewer) posts, called “tweets,” and users can subscribe to one another’s feeds.

LinkedIn and Plaxo are networking sites for professionals. People can share their education and work experience with one another.

What you need to do

Visit one or more social networking sites. If you already have a profile at one of them, try one for which you don’t have a profile. Visit others’ profiles and see what you think. Write a blog post about your experiences. If you’ve used more than one, which is your favorite, and why? What do you like and dislike about them?

Why it’s important

Online networking is enormously popular. In addition to keeping track of old friends and developing business relationships, members of many social networking sites can share audio, still images, and video files. Some sites engage their members with games and other attractions.

These sites are also useful for marketing purposes, and many libraries maintain presences on these sites to disseminate information and to engage patrons. There is no charge for most social networking sites, making it an easy and cost-effective way to reach out to people in the community.

You made it!

Congratulations!  As one last assignment, write up a short blog post telling us what you think of your experience working with the 23 things.

Other websites, such as Delicious, Technorati, and StumbleUpon, allow registered users to share links and tag them for others. Digg asks users to vote give links a thumbs-up or thumbs-down.

What you need to do

Explore Delicious. If you’re interested, create a Delicious account for yourself and tag a few sites. Also, give Technorati a try and learn for yourself how tags correlate to blog posts. Search for these tags: Web 2.0, Library 2.0, and future of libraries. Once you’ve had a chance to learn more about the two sites, write a blog post about your experience. Don’t forget to include what you’re learning about Web 2.0, Library 2.0, and the future of libraries!

Why it’s important

Of course, crowdsourcing and folksonomies aren’t going to provide the precision that using Library of Congress Subject Headings will, but it can be fairly effective. The more people who participate, the more accurate it’s likely to be. Allowing users to tag materials on sites gives people the chance to participate, connect, and share resources. Starting a Delicious account could also be a great way for employees to identify and distribute valuable content to one another.

Next week, we’ll find a way to have some fun with Web 2.0.

If you’re a music lover and you haven’t tried Pandora or Last.fm yet, you should. Both are free to sign up for a basic account and allow you to create personalized Internet radio stations that you can share with your friends. Pandora is based on the Music Genome Project, an initiative that analyzes songs, artists, and genres to create radio stations, added by employees trained by Pandora. Last.fm relies on user tagging instead. Try putting the same artist in both and see what songs you get back — it’s the difference in using a controlled vocabulary (Pandora) versus folksonomies (Last.fm). You don’t have to have an account to use either site, but if you want to bookmark artists or share radio stations, you’ll need to sign up.

Another fun thing to try is streaming video on demand. Many sites offer the service, the most famous of which is probably Hulu. The site offers a variety of programming, from select recent movies and TV shows to popular classics. Anyone can watch video on the site, though like Pandora and Last.fm, there are benefits to creating a subscription. You can subscribe to certain shows and create a queue for future viewing, for one thing. Individual TV networks, ABC and CBS among them, are offering similar services on their own Web sites. Offering back-catalog video is still new, and the owners of the content are in the process of working out how to monetize their efforts. Still, it’s a good resource for librarians to offer their customers. And it might be fun for you, too.

For some book-related tools, you might try LibraryThing. The site claims more than 1 million registered users, and once you start adding books that you’ve read, you’ll find many people have similar tastes to yours. That can help you network with others and find new books you’d like to read. You can add up to 200 books for free, and if you want to continue adding new materials, you can pay a $10 monthly fee or $25 lifetime fee to continue. Other similar sites include GoodReads and Shelfari, the latter of which is owned by Amazon.

If you’re interested in doing creative work, there are many great sites to try your hand online. Probably the most sophisticated of these (and free, to boot!) is Aviary. The company is in the process of adding all kinds of creative tools to its site, but already has an image editor (think Photoshop), effects editor, screen capture, color editor, vector graphics editor (Adobe Illustrator-style), and an audio editor (like Apple’s GarageBand). Accounts are free. The service integrates with Google Apps, if you’d like to add to your artwork via Google Docs. Adobe also allows free limited photo editing and sharing online at its Photoshop.com site.

What you need to do

Give one or two of the audio and video streaming sites a try. Do the same for one of the book-related tools, and for the drawing applications. Write about your experience in your blog. Let us know how you think these sites can be used in a library setting.

Why it’s important

These tools can be a lot of fun for your patrons, and can be accessed for free — a great way to offer new services at your institution.

Next week, we’ll learn how to share and collaborate the Web 2.0 way.

Want to learn more about wikis? Take a look at Meredith Farkas’ slideshow Wikis: A  Beginner’s Look. LibSuccess’s What is a Wiki is actually hosted on a wiki! Lori Reed’s Wiki, Wiki, Wiki! from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s Information Technology Core Competencies is also useful.

Those interested in creating communities online with wikis will find Farkas’s Webjunction course useful.

What you need to do

Take a look at some library wikis, such as these:

• St. Joseph County Public Library Subject Guides — a pathfinder wiki
• Library 2.0 in 15 Minutes a Day — Sam Wallin’s guide in the Oregon Librarian Instruction wiki
• Book Lovers Wiki — from the Princeton Public Library
• Library Success: A best practices wiki
• ALA 2006 New Orleans wiki — created to support one particular event
• The Bull Run Library wiki — a public library wiki

Once you’ve had the chance to see what wikis are like, write a blog post about it, and tell us what you found interesting and how they can be applied in libraries.

The other thing you need to do this week is to log in to the GPLS Learning 2.0 wiki and create an entry. It’s almost exactly like creating a blog post!

Why it’s important

Wikis are great for collaborative learning and creating shared guides. They do have their limitations, however, in what they can be used to do. But for creating content and sharing responsibility for that material in a community, wikis can be wonderful.

Speaking of sharing, next week we’ll take on topics in which many people share interest: Cloud computing and collaborative productivity.

Productivity software has also been making a move toward the Web. Microsoft’s Office Live, Google Docs, and Zoho all offer productivity software suites that can be used via the browser. They offer the ability to share documents with multiple collaborators if desired. The feature set is limited compared to full-featured desktop software, but the tools are easy to use and have most basic features.

Some people have concerns over the privacy of data stored online. The major players in cloud computing take precautions to prevent the loss of private information, and in general, these services are safe. It is a good idea, however, to use a difficult password for these services if private information is stored in them, and to limit the amount of very sensitive information stored in cloud computing services, just to be on the safe side.

What you need to do

Create a Zoho, Microsoft Office Live, or Google account. Explore the site, and create one or more test documents. Once you’ve tried out some of the features of the site, write a blog post that describes your experience.

You can even try posting to your blog directly from Zoho Writer, if you’re feeling courageous!

SEOmoz’s Web 2.0 awards were given out to some of the most innovative next-generation online tools. Take a look at the site and see if you find any new sites we haven’t discussed yet. Pick one, explore it, and record your thoughts in a blog post.

Why it’s important

Companies are beginning to consider Web-based applications in an attempt to save money. In addition, this is a good option for people who rely on the computers in libraries and who have no other access to productivity software. Plus, it saves you the cost of a flash drive and can be accessed from anywhere you have an Internet connection.

Did you know that there are audio and video shows online that you can download and take with you? Be sure to tune in next week to find out more.

Many podcasts can be downloaded one by one, without having to subscribe to a feed. This is useful if you’re not sure whether you’re ready to commit to a show. Apple’s iTunes software is an easy source for podcasts (just look in the iTunes store, though don’t worry about payment, podcasts are, in general, free), but you can also find them listed on sites such as Podcast.com.

The format gets its name from former MTV veejay Adam Curry, who came up with the idea to record shows specifically for use on Apple’s popular portable music player. Now that iPods and other devices have become more sophisticated, video podcasts have also become popular.

There are other types of portable audio, as you’re probably well aware. Audio books have been popular for years, but digital rights management (DRM) enables patrons of some libraries the opportunity to download and listen to audio books without having to go to the library and pick up a physical CD. The DRM encoded in the file automatically restricts the patron’s usage, so he or she doesn’t keep the file forever.

What you need to do

Check out a couple of library podcasts! Visit Podcast.com, use iTunes, or go straight to the source. The Seattle Public Library, Denver Public Library, DeKalb County Public Library, and Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System have all tried their hand at podcasting.

You might find another podcast from the list at LibrarySpot.com, or from another podcast-listing site.

Also, visit Overdrive or NetLibrary to download an audio book of your choice.

Once you’ve had a chance to listen, write a blog post that describes your experience. Was the process straightforward? Did you have any trouble subscribing to the files? Did you have trouble listening to them? Did you use a computer, or a portable player?

Tell us what your experience searching for podcasts was like in your blog post, too. Was it easy to find podcasts you were interested in?

Why it’s important

Podcasts can be used to convey all kinds of material. Apple introduced its iTunes U series of educational podcasts, and many libraries, including the New York Public Library, the Library of Congress, and quite a few educational libraries are producing podcasts to participate in the effort. Podcasts can be used to tell the news about what’s going on in your institution, or to demonstrate a little information literacy to your patrons. It’s up to you. Even if you don’t choose to create your own podcasts, you can tune in to other library podcasts for continuing education, and clue your patrons in, too, so they can enjoy the experience. Podcasts are especially good for the commute.

Patrons in the 21st century expect convenience, and podcasts and audio books deliver. Providing customer-focused services such as these gives people access to materials 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Sharing video files is also a popular way to reach people. Find out more when you come back next week!

YouTube isn’t the only site getting in on the act. Vimeo is another video-sharing site that’s drawing a sizeable following.

What you need to do

Go on YouTube, Vimeo, or another video-sharing site to look around for something that interests you. No matter what you’re interested in, there’s sure to be something. For instance, you might take in Meredith Farkas’s lecture on Library 2.0. Pick two or three videos, then write a blog post to describe your experience on YouTube.

Why it’s important

User-generated content is a huge part of Web 2.0, and many of your patrons probably are interested in visiting YouTube, Vimeo and other sites. They may be interested in watching, or even posting their own content, if they have no other access to upload their movies. It can be a great way to express yourself. Some libraries and museums have begun offering video content of their own on YouTube. Like many other networking sites, video-sharing sites allow you to subscribe to different users and be notified when they post new material.

Dedicated video-sharing sites aren’t the only place where people are posting their videos. We’re coming to the end of our 23 things project, and finishing with a bang. Come back next week to see what we mean!

What you need to do

You need to set up a newsreader account so you can follow some RSS feeds. If you have a Google account already, you can use Google Reader with your existing user name and password. Alternately, you might choose a site such as Bloglines. Both are free. As with blogging software, there are many Web-based options, and many software options for the most popular operating systems and portable devices. For now, let’s stick to things you can do in your browser.

Once you’ve signed up for an account, you can easily find sites to add to your account. Each site has a different method for adding subscriptions, but you’ll find instructions on the RSS reader site you’ve chosen. There may even be some example feeds already subscribed. All you need to sign up is the URL, or the Web address, for the RSS feed page. If you visit the page itself, it’ll probably look like plain text on a white background, but never fear, your RSS aggregator will make sense of it. Your Web browser may even understand that the link goes to an RSS feed and ask which reader you want to use.

If you’re looking for a site with a good library 2.0-related feed, try Librarian.net or The Shifted Librarian. Other good library-related blogs include the OCLC’s blog It’s All Good, the Public Library Association blog, Tame the Web, and Unshelved (a library cartoon, and yes, just because it’s not a blog, that doesn’t mean it can’t have an RSS feed!).

Or you can just search for your own.

To earn credit for this exercise, you need to subscribe to 10 RSS feeds in your reader. Don’t forget to create a blog post to explain which sites you chose, and how the experience was for you.

Another thing you need to do this week is to explore Maryland’s Essential Resource for Library Information Networks (MERLIN) to examine what training resources are available to you there.

Why it’s important

Once you see how the RSS aggregator works, it’ll make more sense. The RSS feed captures the headlines and some amount of the copy that goes with it for you to see. You can scan all the headlines from your favorite feeds in a fraction of the time it would take you to go from page to page. Many feed readers allow you to “star” or otherwise make a note on articles you’d like to keep for the future. And feed readers will keep track of articles that appear regardless of when they’re published, even if you’re not online at the time. It’s very convenient.

RSS feeds are a great way for you to keep up with what’s going on in the world, library or otherwise. If you or your library (or both) have RSS feeds, it’s easy for your patrons or other information professionals to keep up with what you’re doing. Most blogging platforms automatically set up an RSS feed for your blog in their default settings.

As we mentioned before, an RSS feed can be used to deliver almost any kind of information, not just blog posts. You can also find them on image-sharing sites. On week 3, we’ll learn more about those.

The question is, now what do you do with all those photos? The answer? Sign up for one of the many image-hosting websites available and share them with your friends. One of the important things about sites such as Flickr is that it enables you to tag images you add to your account. Essentially, people are adding their own metadata as they upload.

Web 2.0 enables creativity and encourages creativity. People like to take others’ work and make new things with it. Mashups are combinations of video, images, music, or several of the above. You can find whole communities supporting mashups on Flickr.

What you need to do

We’re recommending you start with Flickr, though you can try Picasa or one of the other many similar sites. The first thing to do this week is to choose a site and explore it to see what types of photos people are posting. Choose one to write about for your 23 things blog, and don’t forget a link to the image when you create your post.

Next, you’ll want to create an image-sharing site account and upload a few digital photos to see what it’s like. In your image tags, be sure to add “GPLS 23 Things,” so we can see what you’ve uploaded. If you’ve taken photos that include other people, it’s a good idea to get their permission before uploading them to your image hosting site, even if you’re the one who took the photo and who owns the copyright. Also, if someone else took the photo, be sure to give that person credit.

Speaking of copyright, Flickr allows users to set up Creative Commons licensing for each photo uploaded. You can search by license type, too!

Before you leave Flickr, make sure to look at some of the mashups people have created using other people’s work.

Take a look around the technology community. In your blog this week, share your thoughts on a new technology you’ve found (or at least one that’s new to you) and what you think it means for libraries.

Why it’s important

User-generated content is one of the aspects of Web 2.0 that makes it the phenomenon it is. Sites such as Flickr and Picasa don’t need to create content, they allow others to do it for them. Allowing users to post their own photos brings up a number of copyright and other rights questions that most people aren’t aware of.

Your library may be interested in Flickr collections. Some institutions have their own photostreams, including the Library of Congress, the University of Washington, and others. It’s a great way to get people engaged and give them a taste of what’s in your collection.

Speaking of tagging, let’s get into that more in depth next week, shall we?