23 Things & Twitter in Libraries

OK--I'm setting up RSS feeds today and came across Bloglines http://www.bloglines.com/ This was very easy to set up with no additional downloads and included several library blogs (including The Shifted Librarian and Librarians' Internet Index) to include in my subscription account.

However, I had also made an account with Google Reader and one feature I've found there is the ability to "star" certain blogs to go back to reread later. I think the "clipped file" feature on Blogsline is going to work about the same way. (Does Blogspot provide a "saved" feature? I haven't noticed it yet.)

For an example of something I want to save to reread later, I found a blog from Resource Shelf about an article featuring links and information on Twitter for Libraries (and Librarians)
http://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/may09/Milstein.shtml It cautions that Twitter is actually a conversation medium (of 140 characters!!); however using it as a broadcast mechanism may help open doors to use it as "Twitter holds great promise for libraries of all kinds, and your creativity will expand its utility. "

Now moving on to something I was very excited to stumble across!! The Librarian in Black has been posting blogs about a conference she attended and I became aware of 23 Things http://plcmcl2-things.blogspot.com/#23 a tutorial program to help learn how to use Web 2.0 tools (technologies that students are using to put them in touch globally through social networking, wikis, video, podcasting, and gaming sites). So disregard the dates and prizes to notice the P.S. at the bottom of the blog--"PS: If you’re not a PLCMC staff member, you can follow along as well. Just use the list discovery items found on the 43Things website to record your progress. Alas I’m sorry that I can’t include any MP3 players or laptop as incentives. For you, I hope just the fun of following along is enough. :)."

I'm really excited to find this 23 Things tutorial as it organizes my Web 2.0 quest into an achievable project to focus on specific tools each week. I've already accomplished some of the exercises (ie "set up your own blog" and "set up a Bloglines RSS newsreader account" ) but I'm hopeful that some of the links will include additional resources and helpful tips.

Speaking of completing projects, I need to get my summer calendar in order as I hope to accomplish more than mastering Web 2.0 tools this summer!! August will be here before I know it!