Thing 33 - travel 2.0

For planning trips (and many other applications such as purchases), 2.0 sites are a must. I find actual user information an important factor in my decision making. However, it also helps to know credible websites and the people using them. Getting off of the travel topic for a moment, when making electronics purchases, I like to check out the site newegg.com. This site has many reviews on new technologies from users who are definitely more techie oriented. But I will also check out Amazon.com just to see if the item I am interested in is also a popular seller. I have found this type of information very helpful, especially when formal evaluations such as Consumer Reports may not be available. This type of "consumer" 2.0 information is a great outcome of the web 2.0 phenomenon.

Thing 32 - Google Maps and Mashups

I have used several types of mashups. One site that I liked until it became inundated with ads was Mapmyrun.com. It was great for mapping out and calculating mileage for runs and walks. I also liked the solar calculator site from this activity that allows you to find out how much solar power you can possibly generate by adding solar panels to your roof. I think that the My Maps tool could be a great project for students to be able to map places and then share what they have learned about them rather than using the typical poster for assessment. One comment on the map function however, is that sometimes the maps freeze up, or else the mouse can not be freed up without clicking and adding an unwanted point to a map. I have noticed this issue on several sites. But most likely this problem will improve with the technology. In the mean time, mashups are still a positive enhancement to any curriculum.

Thing 31 - More: Twitter

I think that Twitter can be used as a great professional tool for librarians. As I have said before, we must go where the people are, and they are definitely on Twitter. Using Twitter as well as adding a Twitter RSS feed into a website or blog for example is a simple and quick way to keep patrons up to date on news and events. As for me, I prefer to use Twitter for professional posts and conversations. For some reason I feel that my personal posts need to be funny or clever. This is probably because the people who I follow are lol funny. The pressure... I'll have to work on that one. In the mean time, I do think that Twitter is an innovative tool for librarians. As for a classification, the beauty of Twitter is that it is what you make of it.