Item 23: Wrap-Up/Reflections

I didn't really have a "favorite discovery" or "exercise" in the Discovery 2.0, at least not as it relates to a particular tool or feature. I think the thing that sticks out the most are the great variety of tools "out there" and available that many people are using (whether I find them worth while or not!)

I think initially, excited about completing this program. Toward the end, after 'one more' exercise for a tool that I find no personal use from, it became more tediuos. Which is really strange, becuase I usually am very keen on using and learning new things. I don't think this program has necessarily affected my lifelong learning goals, with the exception that in the future, I will likely not try to do so much at once. Even with a 4 month time period to finish this (and it was mostly finished in a 2 month time period), it felt like a lot in a little amount of time.

One of the unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised me was that I reconnected with some of the tools I'd come across in the past and picked them up again. And, with others, I let them lie! One of the tools I began using again, was Pandora.com, the only music genome project.

If I was to suggest something to do differently for this program’s format would be to offer fewer hyperlinks explaining a topic. I think some people (not me) felt that all had to be read... rather than some. I tended to only read those that I was unfamiliar with, and after I read one hyperlink for a particular topic, I didn't read more unless I didn't feel like I totally understood the topic. Most of these were not new ideas to me (at least not conceptually) and I had a good grasp with many of the concepts to start with.

Overall, though this post tends to have a slightly negative bent, I think it was a good experience.

Item 22: Alternative Blogging

Initially, my impression of microbloggin was "does anyone really need this?" Personally, I think I can live without them. I don't think anyone really needs to see what I'm doing "right now"... if I'm taking the time to type something, really my "what I'm doing right now" would always be "typing on my computer on Twttr" (or other microblog).

I have seen Twitter in use (but didn't make my own account) and checked out Tumblr as well.

Trying to think outside the box, I'm trying to see other uses for this type of blogging. I think, like the list in David Lee King's blog about 10 ways to use it is forseeable -- if you have family & friends that you're IM'ing, emailing, or blogging with anyways, this might be a nice alternate option. Also, maybe if you were in networks that had a purpose (maybe there could be a librarians Twitter that posted quick Q & A's that people didn't need to research, but worked more as a have you heard of, or does this plot sound familiar? You know, for the patron who says "I'm trying to find a book I read 20 years ago -- it's got a picture of a horse and two kids on the front. I think it was a yellow book, and it was about growing up with horses" (or some such vague reference question... or hey, maybe reader's advisory for a topic you're not superfamiliar with and maybe you don't have access to any ready reference materials...

Overall, for me, it's just one more way to be over-communicated (like over-medicated).... a bit too much of a good thing.