Web 2.0 Tools–So Fun!

I just started using yet another Web 2.0 tool today. I LOVE these things!

First, let me explain, for anyone reading who may not be familiar with the term Web 2.0. According to Webster’s Dictionary (online version, of course—what else would I use?):

Main Entry:
web 2.0

Part of Speech:
n

Definition:
the second generation of the World Wide Web in which content is user-generated and dynamic, and software is offered that mimics desktop programs

Example:
Web 2.0 encourages collaboration and communication between users.

Etymology:
2004

Okay, so many of my classes in Library Science have focused, totally or in part, on utilizing Web 2.0 tools. It makes sense, when you think about it. Today’s modern Librarian is an Information Professional, not merely a book-pusher. Part of being an Information Professional is knowing about all forms of media, including books, but also various periodicals (magazines, newspapers), digital materials (DVD’s, CD’s, CD-ROM’s, etc.), play-aways (audio-book players), e-books, etc. There seems to be no end to the formats available for library patrons these days; and let us not forget that many patrons use their library for things other than obtaining simple reading material. A lot of people go to the library to use a computer, and we can only begin to imagine all the various computer needs people have. Therefore, an Information Professional must be fluent in as many of these formats as possible.

Lucky me! It behooves me to find more and more tools and delve into them in my spare time. One tool I learned about a few weeks ago, at the Women of Faith conference, was Pinterest. I hope to write about that sometime soon, but I’m still busy messing around with it…

In the meantime, I got busy today, finally, with something I’d heard about in one of my classes. Apparently (this should come as no surprise to me, but I just never really thought about it), there are various methods of online bookmark storage available. You know how you have your Favorites stored on your computer, within your browser? Say you use Internet Explorer (the little ‘e’ that’s probably on your desktop), or maybe even Firefox or Chrome or some other browser, to connect to the Internet. Somewhere in your browser, you have either Favorites or Bookmarks, but they’re the same thing… places you’ve been to that you know you’ll go back to, perhaps often. I’m not even going to get into the idea of dragging pages onto a new tab on your browser line… that’s something I’ve recently started doing with sites I visit nearly every day, but that’s another blog topic…. Back to Favorites/Bookmarks.

If your computer ever crashes (which I’ve had happen—ouch!), you’ll have to go back and find as many of your old favorites as you can, right? What was the web address for Tracy’s blog? I can’t remember it…. dang. Now I have to wait for an e-mail from her…. What about the web address for the County Assessor, so I can see a picture of someone’s house by plugging in their address (sometimes that’s more helpful than using MapQuest or Google Maps)… That was in my Favorites and now it’s gone. What to do!?

There’s an answer to this problem—of course you have to do this BEFORE your computer crashes, so if you’re reading this right after a crash and you haven’t already taken these steps, I apologize… I can’t help you. Go to Delicious or Google Bookmarks or Diigo. (Click on these words—they’re highlighted here, which means I’ve turned them into “hot links”… not Little Sizzlers, which are great with pancakes and syrup, but active website links for you to just point your mouse at and click.) I haven’t used all three, so I can’t say they’re exactly the same. I’m sure they each have their perks. The point is, you can use each of these sites to save your favorites from your browser. It’s private, it’s something you use a password to get into, but not only are they saved in case your computer ever crashes, you can also access them from ANY computer, ANYwhere! Awesome, right? I actually uploaded all my favorites to Delicious and then transferred them over to Google Bookmarks, because, frankly, it was easier that way.