Tagging, Folksonomies & Technorati

I have discovered delicious. Searching through tagged bookmarks and following links to other links and then so on and so forth. I can see how this system allows for people the social networking component that has become such a popular addition as a web application. This site specifically lets you share and index information that is important to you in some way as well as explore what others have submitted in similar or dissimilar fields. I have found this to be an excellent way to browse the web for information that interests me in a more sane manner than I am accustom to. I managed to tag a number of sites that I thought might be of interest to my fellow classmates in SCILS550, Information Technologies for Libraries and Information Analysis. I have been able to see what they have been tagging in connection with our work on the Learning 2.0 Project as well as in connection with the class itself.



The blogosphere can be a big, scary place. It's like the Pacific Ocean; if you are floating around in the middle of it you'd think it was endless. What's worse, if you are looking for the "right" blog, it's like looking for a specific cup of water in the Pacific Ocean. 51 million blogs currently in operation is an astounding number. How is it possible for my little blog to be found among the other 50,999,999 or so blogs? A practical answer seems to be Technorati. Once you claim your blog as your own you are able to network with other bloggers, search blogs of particular interest or blogs similar or dissimilar to your own. To increase the the number of subscribers to your blog you can have your blog site featured alongside other blogs of similar topic or interest.

I recently removed a blog I had posted earlier. I posted it as a miscellaneous submission because I had found a video that I thought was so amazing I had to put it up on the blog. I removed the blog because it definitely exemplifies some of the concepts of Library 2.0. This is a video from a library in Denmark where they have employed a very user friendly and user centered approach in their children's library. You will also see some amazing applications for Radio Frequency ID Tags.



What we see here is a library that recognizes the needs and inclinations of their patrons. Visitors are encourage to explore information in a variety of ways which employ cutting-edge technology, modifications made to accommodate different learning styles, and wildly creative, user-centered ways to search their database of materials. In this case the patrons are children but the same thing, in principal, can be done elsewhere (and is being done in many places.) The more accessible and interactive our libraries become, the more the libraries will remain an established place to seek out and obtain various types of important information as well as a place to stimulate the mind where all types of learners are recognized and valued.