Thing 10. Wikis

A wiki is a collaborative Web site and authoring tool that allows users to easily add, remove and edit content. Wikipedia, the online open-community encyclopedia, is the largest and likely the most well known of these knowledge-sharing tools. Wikis have many benefits, are easy to use, and have many applications.

Some of the benefits of wikis:
• Anyone (registered or unregistered, if unrestricted) can add, edit or delete content.
• Tracking tools allow you to easily keep up on what been changed and by whom.
• Earlier versions of a page can be rolled back and viewed when needed.
• Users do not need to know HTML in order to apply styles to text or add and edit content.

Libraries all over the country have begun to wikis to collaborate and share knowledge. Among their applications are pathfinder or subject guide wikis, book review wikis, ALA conference wikis, staff handbook wikis, and library best practices wikis. As you can will see when you view the wikis in the list below, the content of a wiki depends on the knowledge and commitment of participants.

1. Watch this Common Craft video on Wikis. It is a quick and easy intro to wikis.



2. Take a look at some library wikis and blog about your findings. Here are a few examples to get you started:

• SJCPL Subject Guides – a pathfinder wiki developed by the St. Joseph County Public Library system.
• Book Lovers Wiki - developed by the Princeton Public Library.
• Library Success: A best practices wiki
• The Albany County Public Library Staff wiki – an example of a wiki created for library staff to document procedures.
• Library Bloggers Wiki
  

Here are some Minnesota wikis:

• Educational Heritage Project, a wiki from Minnesota Literacy Council
• Minnewiki from Minnesota Public Radio
• Beekeeping in MN wiki
• MN 150 wiki from Minnesota Historical Society
  

3. Add or edit an entry in the 23 Things On a Stick (access key for the wiki is multitype) wiki or any other wiki you choose. (Note: When you create your account and sign in to the 23 Things wiki, be sure you uncheck the box asking to receive an update every time this wiki is updated. If you don't, you will receive an email everytime anyone edits the wiki.) Or, if you don't want to "mess up" a wiki (not really possible...), practice in the Wiki Sandbox. Let us know in your blog which wiki and entry you edited.

Resources
Use these resources to learn more about wikis:

• Using Wikis to Create Online Communities – a good overview of what a wiki is and how it can be used in libraries.
• This 2007 presentation by Joyce Yukawa, MLIS Program, College of St. Catherine at Minnesota Library Association is a great resource on how libraries can use wikis as their Web presence.
• Wiki, wiki, wiki - from the Core Competency blog of the Public Library of Charlotte-Mecklenburg County.
• Wikis: A Beginner’s Look – an excellent short slide presentation that offers a short introduction and examples.
• What is a Wiki? – Library Success wiki presentation.

Blog Prompts

• What did you find interesting about the wiki concept?
• What types of applications within libraries and schools might work well with a wiki?
• Many teachers/faculty "ban" Wikipedia as a source for student research. What do you think of the practice of limiting information by format?
• Which wiki did you edit?

Challenge (optional)
1. Want to create your own wiki? These sites provide free wiki hosting. 23 Things On a Stick Wiki uses PB Wiki ("easy as making a peanut butter sandwich").

• PB Wiki
• Zoho Wiki
  

2. Choose a topic, create the wiki, add entries, and let us know what you are doing.

Thing 20. Libraries and Social Networks

MySpace and Facebook probably get more mainstream press than any other tool on this list—besides blogging. And, as we all know, not all the press is positive. However, social networks are one of the main ways that young adults communicate with each other—55% of all teenagers use social networking sites. Use of these sites has even surpassed landline telephones for a certain percentage of teenagers according to a study (pdf) by the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

It is worth noting that these networks incorporate many of the tools we’ve already covered in other Things—blogging, photo and video sharing, internal e-mail, message boards, and IM. One stop shopping is part of their appeal--one user name, one password, all the info in one spot.

Another part of the appeal is the need to “belong to a group” that is a milestone of adolescent development. Young people create their own groups, “friend” people, and more, often without the watchful eye of parent or other authority figure. This is one reasons many teenagers like MySpace and Facebook. Facebook began as a college-focused social network—it originally required a .edu address to join. When it opened up to all comers, many Facebook users were not happy. The exclusivity for young adults seemed lost.

Of course, the lack of the watchful eye is, to some parents, teachers, and librarians, the reason social networks are suspect and can be prone to abuse. Many parents and organizations opt for blocking access to these sites. Others look to education on Internet safety, privacy, appropriate use of technology, and other issues as a way to allow use of these networks that are so important to teens and young adults.

So, what does it all mean to libraries? Whether or not you become a convert to MySpace and/or Facebook, it is important to understand how they work. If our young users are communicating through these networks, we need to be able to be there, too.

In this Thing, you are going to explore a social network. MySpace is the most used social network, but Facebook is currently the fastest growing social network. Facebook is more secure in that it is more difficult to see a user's profile until that person has accepted your friend request.

1. First, here is a simple explanation of why social networks may be useful for those of us beyond our teenage years. This is an episode of the Common Craft Show. You have the choice of visiting either Facebook or MySpace--or for the ambitious, both.

A.

Facebook requires registration in order to view any profiles of members.

1. Register for the site and add 2-3 friends. If you have any difficulty, you can visit this tutorial. There are many other Facebook tutorials on this page that are useful as you find a friend. Be sure to let us know when you join, so we can "friend" you.

2. Complete a profile, write on at least one wall and join at least one group. Here are some possible Facebook Groups to join: (Groups are only visible when logged in to Facebook.)

• American Library Association Members
• Library 2.0 Interest Group
• Libraries Using Facebook Pages
• Librarians and Facebook

3. Check your Facebook Profile at least once in the next week.

B.

1. Visit MySpace and visit some library MySpace pages and examine their content. Here are some library MySpace pages. You can search for others:

• Denver Public Library MySpace Page
• Hennepin County Library MySpace Page
  

2. If you are feeling ambitious, create your own MySpace Page. Add the info to your blog.

Resources

• Information Wants to be Free blogpost that describes some of the pros and cons about venturing into social networks
• MySpace Sign Up Step-by Step Instructions from the University of California- Santa Cruz's 23 Things project.
• 12 Ways to Use Facebook Professionally
• 7 Things You Should Know About Facebook (pdf)
  

Blog Prompts

Facebook

• Which groups did you join and why?Reflect on why Facebook may be the fastest growing social network. Is that reputation deserved?
  

MySpace

• How are libraries using MySpace?
• Did you find anything on a library's MySpace page that would be useful for your library?
  
• If you created your own MySpace page, how do you plan to use it?
  

Challenge

1. Compare and contrast Facebook and MySpace.

Thing 21. Beyond MySpace: Other Social Networks

MySpace and Facebook may grab the headlines in social networking, but there are many other social networks. Social networks are online communities created around interests with people-to-people recommendations and communication. These specialized social networks allow like-minded users to find and interact with one another, whether around crafts or cars or any other shared interest. In this Thing, we'll take a look at some of these networks.

The first three have broad appeal:


Gather
Gather describes itself as the “leading social networking and media site for adults, with some of the highest quality user-generated content on the internet.” Most of the discussion on Gather is in a debate format, focused around a single issue, book, or theme to appeal to busy professionals. American Public Media is heavily invested in this site as an outlet for National Public Radio listeners. Minnesota Public Radio Groups: Minnesota Readers and Minnesota Life.


WebJunction
WebJunction is an online community and portal that supports library staff with technology and library development materials; provides courses for online learning and professional development; and brings the library community together in online discussions and programs. Minnesota has its own customized version of the site, as a collaborative effort of Minnesota State Library Services, a division of the Minnesota Department of Education, MINITEX Library Information Network, and Metronet, a Minnesota Multitype Library System; and WebJunction. Click on Partners to go to WebJunction Minnesota.


Ning
Ning is an alternative social network that is meant for a higher level of customization by its users. The networks are created around special interests, and any user can easily create a network. You can visit the Library 2.0 group, our specially created 23 Things On a Stick group, or any of the other many library groups created in Ning. Note that the 23 Things On a Stick Ning is no longer active since Ning began to charge for the service in July 2010.

Other social networks provide recommendations and reviews, focus on various political candidates, promote career development, or revolve around an interest like music, pets, or food. Even AARP is getting into the social network sphere.

For this Thing,

1. Read these articles:

• How Gather hopes to be the MySpace for Books in Publisher's Weekly
• WebJunction article: Building a Social Networking Environment at the Library

2. Join the 23 Things On a Stick Ning. Do at least 2 of the following:

• Leave comments for another member
• Upload your photos or video to the Ning
• Add the Ning badge to your blog
• Add another of the Ning widgets to your blog

3. Find another social network that might interest you. Explore the ones mentioned already or one of these suggestions:

Education

• Classroom 2.0 Ning
• College 2.0
• Teacher Librarian Ning

Music

• last.fm
• Project Playlist

Food

• Bake Space
• Open Source Food

Movies

• Flixster
• Film Crave

Books

• Whats On My Bookshelf
• Shelfari
• GoodReads

Hobbies

• Fuzzster(pets)
• Yelp (local reviews/recommendations)
• Crafts

Getting Things Done

• 43 Things

You get the idea; there is a social network for everyone. And, on the chance you can't find a social network that matches your interests, start one of your own.

Resources

• Wikipedia list of social network sites
• Nine Ways to Build Your Own Social Network, TechCrunch July 24, 2007
• Tips and tools to help your nonprofit get the most out of online networks, TechSoup, May 5, 2006
• My Guide to Social Networks, a satirical article on social networks in PC Magazine
  

Blog Prompts

• Are you a member of any online communities?
• Are any of these social networks appealing to you?
• What did you find that was interesting and that you might use later?

Thing 22. What Did I Learn Today?

We hope you have learned many new things during 23 Things On a Stick. And one thing you have learned is that Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 are anything but static. Changing, challenging, and exciting are hallmarks of Web 2.0. Here are some other things we hope you have learned:

• It really doesn’t take that much time. You have some new tools—Bloglines, del.icio.us, Digg/Reddit/Newsvine, calendars, to-do lists, and others that make finding news about new tools and ways to use them. You know how to use them to make keeping up easier. Of course, you can spend hours (and hours) playing around with Flickr or YouTube or other tools, but that counts as "improving your skills."

• You know you can do it. Sure, there were trials and tribulations as you learned the new tools or struggled with glitches in the products, but you did finish and you did get the tools to work. That means the next time you see a new tool, you will be ready to figure it out and make it work for you. No fear!
  

• It's fun to know and use these tools. Admit it, YouTube can be entertaining--and you can even see some uses for it in your library. Some of the tools have more toy-like features than others which have a more obvious use. It is amazing what people will think of and more amazing what they create to enhance Flickr, Google, or whatever.

• We need to keep informed. It is easy to get so involved in the day-to-day of story time, library instruction, troubleshooting, programming, reference work, summer reading programs, collection development, faculty meetings, system meetings, meetings and more meetings, and the on and on of the day in the life of a library. In spite of all that work, we do need to stay up on what our patrons are using, talking about, and asking us for help with. As libraries continue to evolve, we need to be informed to evolve with them and guide the evolution.

• We need the support of each other and our administrators and supervisors so we have the time and help we need to learn and stay informed. We hope the communities that have developed around 23 Things On a Stick will continue—whether in a building or a region. Stay in touch through your blogs, IM, and texting!

For this Thing,

1. Make a resolution to maintain your blog, use the tools you now know, keep up with new tools, and apply them in your library. Give yourself the gift of time—15 minutes a day, a Webinar now and then, conversations with colleagues about Library 2.0, whatever—but don't quit now! Put your resolution writing in your blog!

2. Every day, ask yourself, "What did I learn today?" Record your responses in your blog.

So here are some Web sites and blogs to add to your RSS aggregator. There are dozens more—choose ones that speak to you.

Library Web 2.0 Blogs

• Mostly News

• ALA TechSource
• LibraryBytes
  
• Librarian in Black
• LISNews
• Library Stuff

• News and Commentary

• Tame the Web
• Shifted Librarian
• Information Wants To Be Free
• Blue Skunk Blog
• Dangeroulsy Irrelevant
• NeverEnding Search
  

• General Web 2.0
• Lifehacker
• 43Folders

• Web 2.0 Directories
• Web2
• Go2Web
• Web2List
  

• Other Ways to Keep Up
• WebJunction-Minnesota offers newsletters, online courses, and other content (free to Minnesota users, thanks to MINITEX, State Library Services, and Metronet).
• OPAL has many online opportunities both live and in its archives to learn about library-related things—Library 2.0, technology, and more.
• Webinars from MINITEX and other sources
• Podcasts on Web 2.0 and library topics—find a few you like and add them to your RSS aggregator.
  

That’s enough. Glance through these, add the ones you like to your RSS aggregator, use others as needed. And remember, you can delete entries from your aggregator, too.

Blog Prompts

• Blog about how you plan to keep up with the Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 tools.
• Recommend a way to keep up that you have found useful.