Thing 8: Communication Web 2.0 Style

::Sigh:: Something I am already in the know about. I have used various tools mentioned in this Thing since I was about 14...WOW-half my life. OK, don't laugh. I know -- I'm a bebe, but that's why this is so familiar to me. The first thing I learned was Instant Messaging via AOL. At the time it first came around, it was fascinating because you could meet up with your friends in your private "Chat Rooms" and gossip. I don't know why that was any more interesting than getting on the phone and talking, but it was. Meebo has definitely improved this tool.

Text Messaging is also rampant amongst friends AND colleagues. Same concept, you can send a quick message without the concern of hefty conversation, or you can send messages at times when it's inconvenient to talk. Of course, NO ONE here would EVER use it at a meeting or during any other work time!

And of course, what would this entry be without discussing Facebook or Myspace. You can leave messages on people's boards or through an e-mail program. AND it allows you to post and view pictures much like some of the exercises we've used here.

I attended the University of South Florida to attain my degree in Library Science. When I began, Blackboard was a tool that was still very new, but it was very helpful in that it allowed some of my fellow classmates to attend from locations outside of the Tampa area. As mentioned in the .pdf under this Thing on the NEFLIN blog, it could be difficult to gauge the progress that students were making, and I remember having technical difficulties trying to log on to a live session of classroom conferencing. However, this tool was such an asset, and it allowed so many valuable, bright people to complete a program to which they may have otherwise had no access.

E-mail is an extremely effective tool. It allows us to communicate and forward information that is vital to our careers. In my system, we rely on this as well as our respective wikis to conduct business, toss around our ideas, and discuss various components of our field.

I am most familiar with "Ask-a-Librarian" with regards to online reference. It is an extremely vital tool in that "patrons" can access reference assistance 24 hours a day while communicate with a professional in the field.

"The Meebo Challenge": When I entered college, I signed up for a free AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) account, and a few years later, I also acquired a Yahoo!IM. Meebo allows you to open these accounts simaltaneously and IM a variety of people, not all of whom subscribe to both of those services. It is definitely worth checking out if you have mulitple accounts.

Updated (02/17/2009): After talking with one of my colleague, I have some more thoughts on the e-mail prompt. While e-mail provides an efficient line of communication, it is sometimes overused. We rely heavily on it, and there are times when perhaps a simple phone call or face-to-face meeting would suffice.