for what it's worth, I haven't read Michael Stephens latest Library Technology reports yet, but I'm looking forward to it.

http://www.techsource.ala.org/ltr/web-20-and-libraries-best-practices-for-social-software.html

Keeping up with Web 2.0

It's a moving target, and things are probably going to change more before they settle down.

Here are some places you might want to use to keep up.

For academics: Educause's 7 Things You Should Know about ____ series http://www.educause.edu/content.asp?page_id=7495&bhcp=1

For keeping up with multiple blogs: an RSS reader like bloglines http://www.bloglines.com You tell bloglines which blogs you want to read, and it aggregates the content into one place, and gives you chances to email/clip the information.

Don't know why you would want to keep up with blogs: check out Google Maps Mania where people are adding information on top of a map to create interesting resources http://googlemapsmania.blogspot.com/

Interact with the news: The venerable BBC has infused their web site with discussion boards, so you can not just read the news but react to it. http://news.bbc.co.uk/

Three (or four) sites you should start with

So, with the stunning array of things that are out there, where should you get started?

1) www.myspace.com/ is the first place you should go. It has gotten a lot of bad press, but nothing else is quicker and easier to get in touch with a lot of people. It is also easy to start a blog, add pictures, etc. etc. Most college students, and many high school students have already done this. It is very easy to network with people using myspace.

(optional - some college students use www.facebook.com more, and that would be the place to go. My observations is that I see about 3 students using myspace for every one that uses facebook)

2) http://del.icio.us/ is the place to save bookmarks. Don't remember whether you saved a book mark at home, at work or somewhere else. Get an account at del.icio.us and save all your bookmarks there. Then you will always have them, and you can see how often other people have bookmarked them as well.

And, you can "tag" your bookmarks as whatever you want to "travel", "eng101", "toread", etc.

Then, the tagged items can become a live URL for you to give to people to see what you are interested in. I'm working on a brownbag about web 2.0 things, so you can see what I'm pointing to at http://del.icio.us/queequeg83/brownbag/ where "queequeg83" is my user name (can you guess I was an english major?) and brownbag is the tag.

3) http://www.flickr.com is the place to share visual images. Not necessarily pictures, but screen dumps, power point slides, maps, scans, etc. etc. You can also "tag" pictures with your own phrases to make them easier for you, and everyone else to find. Don't know where to start, look at the most "interesting" pictures of the last 7 days http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/ or search for a topic of interest "kentucky" or "transylvania" or "saxophone".

What makes all of these more powerful and interesting is that you don't just look at things: you interact with them. You can leave comments on people's myspace pages, or suggest new web pages to other del.icio.us users, or tell people they have great pictures on flickr.

Take some time now to set up an account with at least one of these three. Or all three (or four).

Want to go further? Visit http://30boxes.com for an online shared calendar or http://www.writely.com to write collaboratively online or vist http://web2.0awards.org/ for more sites.

What is Web 2.0?

In the early days of the web, people made web pages, and surfers came to look at them. Web 1.0. But, some web pages realized that they could use the collective wisdom of the visitors to make more information available.

The Internet Movie Database http://us.imdb.com is one of the earliest examples of this: people could vote on which movies they liked best. Real people, not critics. The IMDB was then able to give you a "top 250 movies" (and bottom movies as well) as voted on by real people.

The best known example of the participatory nature of the evolving web is probably Wikipedia http://www.wikipedia.org and I won't try to explain it, I will leave that to Steven Colbert http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmHm0rGns4I

For more about Web 2.0, I think I am legally required to point to Tim O'Reilly's discussion of web 2.0 http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html

To see a list of interesting web 2.0 sites, visit some "best of web 2.0 sites" at: http://web2.0awards.org/

Web Sites for Academics, and their Students

(annotating the sites I have put on my list at http://del.icio.us/queequeg83/brownbag/)

Non Web 2.0 sites
Places to find topics for papers:

www.publicagenda.com - presents a few issues in depth, with statistics, and multi-sided views of issues (not just pro- and con- by more nuanced)

www.stateline.org - points to articles in newspapers from around the country to show what all the different states are doing about different challenges. Use in conjunction with http://www.bugmenot.com to minimize needing to sign up with multiple newspapers.


and, for more web sites about everything, how about Time Magazine's 2006 list: http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1222769,00.html

Virtual Self

I started on "virtual steve" to try and put together some ideas that might help people find good information (or possibly other things I think I know how to do) http://inform8.pbwiki.com/VirtualSteve/

If you aren't using del.icio.us yet, you should. You can tag things, and then tags become URLs, so since I'm working on a brownbag, you can look at the things that I'm thinking about talking about in the brown bag at http://del.icio.us/queequeg83/brownbag/

Steve

Roll your own:

If you like Dogpile, but wish that you could tell it which search engines to search, you just got your wish - http://rollyo.com/

I need to tell them that they should add http://www.lii.org to their list of "reference" searches.

Book chapter progress

I think I am making some progress on my book chapter. I'm looking at challenges for librarianship, and I told them I would write about technology.

I've been looking at bloglines skimming about 29 feeds, to see what I can see (for the past 4-5 months), and I am starting to sort through all the things, and I am seeing some patterns.

I have identified some challenges, and some reactions to "library 2.0" Maybe I'll put some here someday.

Plagiarism
I'm also working with Tiana French on something for plagiarism, and that includes probably making a web site, and probably writing something for somewhere. I am taking a research methods class, and I am using a "find out whether first year college students understand what plagiarism is" as my topic. The class does not require you do a live survey, but I'm thinking that I might as well try.

Student success
I'm also working on a way to help students realize where they are in the semester, and to remind them of the appropriate bits of orientation at the appropriate times.

"Good" folder

Seeing this post http://www.librarystuff.net/2006/06/hundred-dollar-folder.html, I'm reminded that there are so many little good ideas out there. I started a "good boy" folder back at Bradley University in 1991, when I started my first professional job. Now I just call it "good", and this year, I added the innovation of calling it "good 2006" so I don't have to go through the whole folder when annual review time comes up.

From the Kept-Up Academic Librarian - http://keptup.typepad.com/academic/2006/06/dependence_on_t.html

An article complaining that students are becoming too dependent on text communication. Wasn't the worry less than 10 years ago, since students were always watching TV, that they would be unable to communicate in print? Which way do you want it?

Or, do worries about young people always sell more newspapers? Or, did the worried stories sell newspapers back when people had to pay for them?

This smacks to me, having not read the article, in good blogger fashion, of people from one paradigm looking incorrectly at people in the new paradigm. Okay, I went and read it, and I still think the same thing. A few anecdotes from a few people (including, of course, Lindsey Lohan) make a disturbing new trend.

I was on vacation for a couple of days, and I'm trying to read through everything that accumulated in blogspot.

I was struck by two contradictory articles (to which I do not have the links). One looked at economics Ph.D. graduates, and attempted to determine if an academic career was based more on the student's own intellectual prowess, or the luck of what the job market held that year. Guess what? It's the luck of the draw: graduate in a good year if you can.

The other article was also looking, I believe, at business and finance students, and was remarking that a person's institution no longer mattered as much. The Internet had flattened out patterns of collaboration, and now people from less well regarded schools could co-author with others from high-prestige schools.

So, that's the view from the dismal science: timing is everything, geography no longer matters.

eating my own cooking 2.0

You might be interested to see http://www.myspace.com/inform8 or possibly http://www.myspace.com/67156854 (myspace for my library)

and I'm starting to get confused with all the bloglines, google notebook, writely, camfire, etc. stuff I've looked and and sometimes signed up for

Library 2.0 - Like the idea, hate the term

I like the idea of "library 2.0" - that libraries need to evolve along with the changes in technology. That we are now in a new age where we can engage in lots of conversations, and technolgy can facilitate that (if we aren't destroyed by constant distractions).

But, I hate the term "library 2.0". It seems to say that libraries are just now getting to their second iteration. So, from the Library at Alexandria to Franklin's lending library to the Carnegie libraries and everything in library history until 2005 just counts as "library 1.0"? It would be more realistically library 12.4 or some such. Web 2.0 I don't have any problem with: from the first time I saw Mosaic until 2005, I can count as one version, but it is a slap in the face to millenia of library history and experience to just call it "library 2.0"

That said, no one outside libraryland will ever use the term "library 12.4" or whatever we calculate it to be. So, as a shorthand, "library 2.0" will suffice, and I will probably use it. But like "baby boomer" and "generation x" and "millenial", it is a term that grates on the nerves just a little bit.

So, until someone has a better, catchier term, I guess library 2.0 is it.

I really need to write more. So, summer is a good time to start.

I am working on a book chapter about Library 2.0. The book is about challenges of the next "millenial" generation and libraries, and I suggested that someone write something about technology, so the editor said "okay, how about you?"

Like the idea of private retirement accounts - Open one TODAY!

You can have a private retirement account today. No waiting for the government to wrangle about revising/renewing/revamping social security.

Open an IRA. It is a truly private (government can NEVER touch it) account. It can grow tax-free (Roth IRA) or tax-deferred (Traditional IRA).

In an appalling turn of events, the IRS says at http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=127809,00.html
that only 10 percent of the people who are eligible for IRAs actually have one. So, before you call or write your government officials to weigh in on whether you like social security reform or not, take care of yourself by opening an IRA.

From Time Magazine 1/24/05 about "twixters" who won't grow up, here are some ways to help your kids move to adulthood.

From Mel Levine's book _Ready or Not, Here Life Comes_

* Help your kids figure out who they are: what they are good at and like doing
* Talk about the future on a regular basis: where did happy people in your life get to where they are now?
* Build your kids work skills: assign household tasks, talk about customer service, etc.
* Place limits on leisure activities: the instant gratification of tv, computer games, constant musical barrage doesn't really help develop life skills
* Help kids develop coping strategies: what do you do when things aren't going your way? what do you do with failure?
* Make sure childhood is not a hard act to follow: perfect vacations, paid for with borrowed money, don't set up realistic expectations

Sound Money from PRI

Links from Invest in Yourself

http://www.investinyourself.com/links.htm


Simple/Frugal Living

Little Country Village http://www.littlecountryvillage.com/index.shtml
Center for a New American Dream http://www.newdream.org
Cheapskate Monthly http://www.cheapskatemonthly.com
The Dollar Stretcher http://www.stretcher.com
Frugal Living Newsletter http://www.livingfrugal.com
Living Cheap News http://www.livingcheap.com
Millennium Institute http://www.igc.apc.org/millennium/links/simplive.html
Miserly Moms http://www.miserlymoms.com
New Road Map Foundation http://www.newroadmap.org
$avvy-Discount$ Newsletter http://www.savvy-discounts.com
The Simple Living Network http://www.simpleliving.net

Spectrum Concepts http://www.pe.net/~alrokon/tidbits.html
Use Less Stuff Report http://www.cygnus-group.com/ULS/About_ULS.html
Return to list of CATEGORIES
Financial Advice
Asset Allocation http://www.dolans.com
Asset Allocation http://www.soundmindinvesting.com
CardTrak http://www.cardtrak.com
Consumer Action http://www.consumer-action.org
Consumer Info http://www.consumerworld.org
Consumer Info http://www.consumer.gov
Federal Deposit Insurance Corp http://www.fdic.gov
Institute of Consumer Financial Education http://www.financial-education-icfe.org
It's Your Money http://www.itsyourmoney.com
Myvesta.org http://www.myvesta.org
National Association of Unclaimed
Property Administrators http://www.unclaimed.org
National Foundation for Credit Counseling http://www.nfcc.org
No-Debt Living http://www.nodebtnews.com
On-line Brokerages http://www.ameritrade.com
On-Line Brokerages http://www.suretrade.com
Scott Burns http://www.scottburns.com
Sound Mind Investing http://www.soundmindinvesting.com
Stock Purchases http://www.dripinvestor.com
Return to list of CATEGORIES
Investing
http://www.kiplinger.com
http://www.talks.com
http://quicken.excite.com/forums
http://www.investor.nasd.com
http://www.pioneerplanet.com/archive/wealth/index.htm
http://www.bankrate.com
http://www.fool.com
http://moneyinsider.msn.com
http://better-investing.org
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants http://www.aicpa.org
Co-op America http://www.coopamerica.org
Good Money http://www.goodmoney.com
GreenMoney Journal http://www.greenmoney.com
Institute for American Values Investing http://www.americanvalues.org
The Institute of Certified Financial Planners http://www.cfp.net
The International Association of Financial Planning http://www.napfa.org
National Association of Securities Dealers http://www.nasdr.com/2000.htm
The Social Investment Forum http://www.socialinvest.org
Return to list of CATEGORIES
Children
National Association for the
Education of Young Children http://www.naeyc.org
National Association for Family Care http://www.nafcc.org
Save for America http://www.saveforamerica.org
Kids - Business http://www.littlejason.com/lemonade
Return to list of CATEGORIES
Health
Alzheimer's Association http://www.alz.org
Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral http://www.alzheimers.org/adear
American Cancer Society http://www.cancer.org/frames.html
American Diabetes Association http://www.diabetes.org
American Heart Association http://www.amhrt.org
American Lung Association http://www.lungusa.org
Arthritis Foundation http://www.arthritis.org
The Doctor Finder http://www.ama-assn.org/aps/amahg.htm
Healthfinder http://www.healthfinder.gov
HIV/AIDS Treament Information Service http://www.hivatis.org
Information System http://www.aegis.com
Medical Savings Accounts http://www.kiplinger.com/dailynews/dn0514972.html
National Cancer Institute http://cancernet.nci.nih.gov
National Institute of Mental Health http://www.nimh.nih.gov
National Institute of Neurogical Disorders and Stroke http://www.ninds.nih.gov
National Institutes of Health/
Office of Alternative Medicine http://www.pitt.edu/~cbw/altm.html
National Kidney Foundation http://www.kidney.org
Self-Help Clearinghouse http://www.selfhelpgroups.org
Return to list of CATEGORIES
Home

American Society of Home Inspectors http://www.ashi.com
Home Buying http://www.realtor.com
Home Buying http://www.ired.com
Home Buying http://www.inman.com
HUD-Mortgage Insurance rebates http://www.hud.gov/fha/comp/refunds/page1.html
Mortgage Rates http://www.hsh.com
Property Caretaking http://www.angelfire.com/wa/caretaker
Relocation http://www.virtualrelocation.com
Return to list of CATEGORIES
Career
http://www.monster.com
http://www.careerbuilder.com
http://www.careermosaic.com
http://www.careermag.com
http://www.careerpath.com
http://www.ajb.dni.us
http://www.occ.com
Return to list of CATEGORIES
Small/Home Business

Business @ Home http://www.gohome.com
Barbara Brabec http://www.barbarabrabec.com
Guerilla Marketing Online http://www.gmarketing.com
Small Business Administration http://www.sbaonine.sba.gov
Working Solo http://www.workingsolo.com
Return to list of CATEGORIES
Car Shopping
http://www.edmunds.com
http://www.intellichoice.com
http://www.kbb.com
http://www.autobytel.com
http://www.carsmart.com
http://www.onlineauto.com
Return to list of CATEGORIES
Auto Insurance
http://www.bbb.org/library/autoins.html
http://www.insure.com
http://www.insweb.com
http://www.hwysafety.org
Injury Collision info-auto http://www.carsafety.org
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov
Return to list of CATEGORIES
Education/College
Financial Aid http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/Students/
http://www.finaid.org
College Prep http://www.testprep.com
http://www.ets.org
http://www.collegeboard.com
http://www.act.org/aap/index.html
http://www.kaplan.com
http://www.powerprep.com
College Selection http://www.petersons.com
http://www.usnews.com/usnews.edu/college
http://www.universities.com
http://www.review.com
Scholarships http://www.salliemae.com
http://www.collegeboard.com
http://www.fastweb.com/fastweb
Return to list of CATEGORIES
General Self Help

Cooperative Extension Services http://www.reeusda.gov/statepartners/usa.htm
Fraud http://www.fraud.org
Insurance http://www.inswebpro.com/carriers/stdpoor
Insurance Carrier Ratings http://www.insure.com/ratings
International Coach Federation http://www.coachfederation.org
National Association of Insurance Commissioners http://www.naic.org
National Board For Certified Counselors http://www.nbcc.org
Nolo News http://www.nolo.com
Toastmasters International http://www.toastmasters.org
Return to list of CATEGORIES
Estate Planning
Crash Course in Wills and Trusts http://www.mtpalermo.com

Return to list of CATEGORIES
Retirement/Aging
The American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging http://www.aahsa.org
Extended Care Information Network http://www.elderconnect.com
Medicare Handbook http://www.medicare.gov

Scariest thing I have read today

To put the size of the global labor oversupply in
perspective, if all U.S. jobs were moved to China,
there would still be surplus labor in China.

From a Carnegie policy briefing Job Anxiety is Real - and It's Global

Tax Policy Center

Tax Policy Center at http://taxpolicycenter.org/home/ looks interesting. Rates going back in time, etc.