The thing about Web 2.0 isn’t the technology. It’s the way people use it. It introduces collaboration and communication to activities that used to be solitary. It allows individuals to make whatever sense they want of the digital information that surrounds us. And it’s fun.

You might not use these things in your job everyday, or even at all. The point is many people do, and it’s changing they way they expect to interact with information. It’s important to know about them, even if it’s just so that we know what people are talking about when they ask us how to get a MySpace page, or why we put pictures of library activities on Flickr, or what our username is on MSN.

And did I mention it’s fun? Seriously. Exploring our list of things will be fun, and that’s okay. Just because it’s fun doesn’t mean it won’t also be useful. So don’t be afraid to get personal if you want to. If blogging about your kids or your pets or your hobbies will be more fun than blogging about a more “professional” topic, knock yourself out. It still counts. If you aren’t keen on mixing your personal life with work, that’s okay, too. You don’t have to make anything public if you don’t want to – there are often privacy options to keep things hidden, if you so desire. Whatever you do, make sure that you use these tools to explore things that you find compelling or interesting, because that’s kind of the point. And don’t feel guilty if it’s fun.

Here are some more reasons it’s important to know about new technology. There are more details about our FAQ page. Finally, some words of advice:

• While you can work on the things in whatever order you like, you’ll want to get Set up your own blog out of the way early on. Posting a little something on your blog about each thing as you complete it will let us know you’ve finished that section.
• If you are doing this on a shared computer, remember to log out of your online tools when you’re done. Closing the entire browser can help, too.  And, of course, if someone else is logged in, don’t mess with their stuff.

Whose big idea was this?
Blame the Digital Collaborative, an Allen County Public Library (ACPL) committee that combines the expertise of both front-line and information technology staff to explore new technologies and the ways we can best use them to serve our patrons. We’ve been playing with Web 2.0 tools ourselves, and we just wanted to share the love.
Do I have to do it?
No, but why wouldn’t you want to? Seriously, you don’t have to participate. Do keep in mind, however, that anyone is eligible, and the skills you learn might be useful outside of work.
You go too fast! What happens if I can’t keep up?
The beauty of our Learning 2.0 scheme is that you can work at your own pace. If you fall behind on one section, you can wait to move to the next when you finish it, you can leave it and come back to it later, or you can holler for help. If you don’t have a Learning 2.0 Booster at your location, let us know and we’ll step up and rescue you.
I already know how to blog/Flickr/MySpace. What should I do?
Good for you: want a cookie? Okay, we don’t really have cookies, but you can work ahead as you see fit. You can also skip around if you only want to explore the sections that are new to you.
What happens if I start working on it and I don’t like it?
You can stop whenever you want. Do us a favor and give it at least a couple of sections before you give up, though. You might not like the first tool we ask you to explore, but the one you’ll fall in love with might be just around the corner. Don’t forget: you can do the sections in whatever order you want, so feel free to skip ahead.
I’m working on MP3s, and you want me to download iTunes to my computer? I thought that was a no-no.
We’ve identified some free and open source tools that are part of these tutorials — as far as these tools go, download away. You may find some other Web 2.0-type tools that you like that involve a download, and there are a couple of issues that come into play. One has to do with licensing. Technically, the library could get in some trouble if we end up with software we don’t really have permission to use, even as a non-profit institution. Usually, software that’s specifically licensed as open source is okay; shareware is often not. If you find something you want to try and you have any question about whether the license covers library use or not, ask us about it and we’ll look into it. The other thing to keep in mind about downloads is that they can sometimes bring with them unforeseen nasties that might necessitate wiping your computer clean. With that in mind, make sure you have backups of your important files, and be aware that you’ll probably have to re-download your favorite safe tools. Checkout the Handy Backup Tips article on the ACPL ITS website.
What’s a screencast?
A screencast is way to demonstrate what you’re doing on the screen and make it available on the web. We’ve used a free piece of downloadable software called Wink to help guide you through some of our 21 Things by making tutorials that show you where to click and what happens next.

What exactly is a lifelong learner?

Whether we want to be or not, all of us, in some way, shape or form are lifelong learners. This isn’t always something we consciously choose. Sometimes our job demands that we learn something new—perhaps a new computer program or a new version of the program that we’ve become familiar with. Sometimes our lives take a unexpected turn that requires we learn something new. For example, someone who is downsized may take a new job that requires a whole new set of skills. And sometimes we want to learn something because we have an interest (or think we might) in some area such as gardening, computer programming, etc.

What can get in the way of being a lifelong learner?

Some people confuse learning with education and with school. If you are someone who was so relieved when you thought that learning was over once you left school, you may find the idea of needing to learn new things your entire life somewhat daunting. But if you think about the fact that learning can be fun—especially if you have some motivation to learn—then perhaps being a lifelong learner isn’t quite so frightening.; Let’s face it, when you buy that new high definition television and have to learn how to operate yet another remote control—you will be highly motivated to learn!! To paraphrase a poem by Percy Shelly, nothing is constant…except change. All of us would like for our lives to hold still—for nothing to change—at least until we have time to catch our breath and regroup. Life doesn’t work that way, however, and with the rapid changes brought about by technology, all of us must face the fact that whether we accept or resist change, it’s going to happen.

Why would I want to be a lifelong learner?

Learning anything new lets you

• Expand your horizons
• Feel good about yourself
• Prepare for a career change
• Keep up with what other family members may be learning
• Stay current in your job
• Help others by sharing what you have learned

What do I need to know about learning that would help me in this process?

Knowing how you learn best is not always something that people are aware of. Everyone learns a bit differently. Think about how you prefer to receive new information:

• Visually — If you like to read materials about how to use a new computer program
• Aurally — If you like to hear information about how to use a new computer program
• Kinesthetically – If you like to physically perform the steps necessary to use a new computer program

Most of us learn best with some combination of these three and some information is better suited to one method than the others. For example, learning to water ski is going to best be learned kinesthetically. You can hear someone explain how to hold your body and you can read about how to put on water skis in a book, but until you actually water ski and your body “feels” what that is like, you won’t be able to complete the learning process.

What are the characteristics of someone who is a lifelong learner?

Check out the 7 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners by the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County

Discovery Exercises

1. See if you can determine which of the three ways of receiving information (visually, aurally, or kinesthetically) you prefer. What kinds of learning might work well with your preferred method? What kinds of learning might not work as well?
2. If there is something that you want to learn and you have been putting it off, fill out the contract that is at the end of the 7 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners as an incentive to get you started.

For the purposes of this tutorial, we’re using the free online blogging site, Blogger. You’re free to choose another (WordPress and LiveJournal are a couple of options), but the videos and screencasts1 will all refer to Blogger. Blogger is owned by Google, and if you already have Gmail account, you can use the same login in Blogger. If you don’t already have a Gmail account, you should start with…

Get a Gmail account.

If you already have one, skip ahead to Set up a blog. If you don’t, we’ve got a handy video for setting up an account with Gmail, Google’s free web-based email service.

You could also go right to creating a Gmail account, or watch our Gmail screencast.

Set up a blog.

The steps for creating a new blog are pretty straightforward. Head over to Blogger and dive in right now, or watch our how-to video and screencast.

Customize your blog.

You can do all sorts of things to customize your blog. Check out this introduction:

Your blog has a theme, which determines what it will look and feel like. Themes effect color, font and layout. Our screencast on changing themes will help you get started.

Take a look at the adding a picture screencast to learn how to add images to your blog. You can even add videos from YouTube so that they play directly from your blog!

Resources

The Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenberg County has another blog tutorial as part of their Learning 2.0 site.

Discovery Exercises

1. Create a blog at Blogger.
2. Write your first post.
3. Share the URL of your blog with a member of the Digital Collaborative. If you’d prefer that your blog stay private, let us know and we’ll leave it off the L2.0 Learners list.
4. Fill in your Blogroll by adding a couple of other blog that you read. Don’t read any yet? Check out ACPL Blogs, and then come back.
5. Upload a photo.

The DC has some guidelines for library-related blogs, but the blog you create for 21 Things need not be library-related. If you are into gardening, feel free to make that the topic of your blog. If you want to focus on parenting, go to town! If you just want to have a place where you can post the wide-ranging things that make up your life, that’s cool, too.

ACPL Reference blog
This was started as a place for reference librarians to share ideas and information; it is used often by the General Reference desk but any staff are welcome to post. For information, contact Sara Patalita.

Dupont Branch blog
Dupont staff uses this as the home page on their desk computers to share information among their branch staff.

ACPL IT blog This has become Sean Robinson’s blog to share ideas and thoughts on technology in libraries. May be of interest to ACPL staff and other library/IT professionals.

Fort Wayne Area Artists blog
A place to share information regarding art and artists in our area. Contact Nancy Saff for more information.

Paul Clarke Nonprofit Resource Center blog
The NRC shares updates and ideas with its users.

Grabill Branch blog
This blog is aimed at patrons of the Grabill library to keep them connected with what’s happening at that branch. You’ll notice these blogs cover a variety of topics, but they all have one thing in common: it’s an easy way to gather information online to share with the public and other staff.

Discovery Exercises

1. Read a few posts on at least two of ACPL’s blogs, and use your own blog (the one you created in Thing #3) to record your thoughts.
2. Leave a comment on one ACPL post. Find one you have something to say about, and then look for the comments link down around the bottom of the post.

RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication.” It uses XML (one of those computer-type languages) to let a program called a feed reader know when content on a website has been updated. With your feed reader, you can track new information posted on all kinds of online news sources, as well as your favorite blogs. RSS has revolutionized the way news, media and content creators share information. It is also swiftly changing the way everyday users are consuming information.

If you’re on a website and see a little orange radiowave icon, that means there’s an RSS feed around. Blogging tools have feed creation built in, so if you have a blog, you automatically have an RSS feed.

This thing’s discovery exercises focus on learning about RSS feeds and setting up a free online feed reader account for yourself to bring your feeds together.

About RSS

• CNET Video: RSS – Feel the Need for Feeds — a good over view of what RSS is and the benefits to users.
• Feed Me: A gentle introduction to Internet feeds — a good tutorial from Palinet, a library cooperative

Setting up a Reader

There are several free web-based tools that let you follow RSS feeds, but we’ve chosen two.

• Bloglines — It’s easy to set up, and has a great search for finding feeds and posts.
• Google Reader — If you already have a Gmail account, this is an easy one to get started with.

Both will let you export your feeds to a file that lets you import them into another feed reader, so if you start with one, it’s easy to switch to the other and give it a try. This video will walk you through setting up an account in Bloglines.

Finding Feeds

And what about searching for RSS feeds? There are a number of RSS search tools, including:

• Blogline’s Search tool. This lets you search for news feeds in addition to posts, citations and the web. Use the Search for Feeds option to locate RSS feeds you might be interested in.
• Feedster. This is one of the largest collections of RSS feeds, Feedster lets you search for feeds in three categories: news, blogs & podcasts.
• Topix.net. This search tool allows you to locate recent newsfeed items based upon keyword or phrase searching. The tool focuses specifically on news and media outlets RSS feeds for information, not weblogs.
• Syndic8.com.Syndic8 is an open directory of RSS feeds that contains thousands of RSS feeds that users have submitted.
• Google Blog Search. This one is limited to blogs. Once you find the blog you are looking for, add the main blog URL.

Discovery Exercises

1. Watch the video RSS in Plain English. This simple, brief video explains RSS, how to use an RSS reader, and the advantages of feeds. Browse the resources listed above to learn more about RSS and how to find feeds.
2. Create a free online RSS reader account for yourself and add at least 10 feeds to your reader.
3. Subscribe to the feeds from several of your co-workers’ blogs. Try it, it’s easy! Then try adding a few other types of news feeds from news sources and ACPL’s blogs.
4. Use another of the above search tools to locate at least 2 library-themed blogs to your RSS account (or cheat and add Stephen’s Lighthouse, Tame The Web, Library Bytes, Walking Paper, Librarian.net, Librarian in Black, or David Lee King.com).
5. Create a post in your blog about this exercise. Some things you might want to think about:
   • Which method of finding feeds was easiest: going to your favorite sites or searching for them?
   • Which Search tool was the easiest for you? Which was more confusing?
   • What kind of unusual feeds did you find in your travels?

Gmail

Gmail is Google’s free web-based email service. It has a couple of key features that set it apart from other providers: a) it has a really powerful search function which makes it much less necessary to file saved messages in folders in order to be able to find them; and b) it threads email conversations so you can look back at a whole series of emails back and forth at once.

If you don’t already have a Gmail account, we have a handy video to help you set one up:

You could also go right to creating a Gmail account, or watch our Gmail screencast.

Google Docs and Spreadsheets

Google Docs is an especially helpful Web 2.0 tool because a) it is portable, in that you can access your documents from any Internet workstation; and b) it is a collaboration tool. Because your Google documents are tied to your Gmail account, you can get to them easily. I like the fact that Google provides so many tools all in one place; it’s like having your own little corner office at Google. Google Docs and Spreadsheets offer many of the features of Word or Excel, without the cost of either of those programs. But what I like so much is that two or more people can simultaneously edit a document or spreadsheet without repeatedly e-mail each other attachments. Here’s the lowdown on why Google Docs and Spreadsheets is such a great tool, from the Google Docs Help Center.

Here’s what you can do with documents:

• Upload Word documents, OpenOffice, RTF, HTML or text (or create documents from scratch).
• Use our simple WYSIWYG editor to format your documents, spell-check them, etc.
• Invite others (by e-mail address) to edit or view your documents and spreadsheets.
• Edit documents online with whomever you choose.
• View your documents’ and spreadsheets’ revision history and roll back to any version.
• Publish documents and spreadsheets online to the world, as Web pages or post documents to your blog.
• Download documents to your desktop as Word, OpenOffice, RTF, PDF, HTML or zip.
• Email your documents out as attachments.

Here’s what you can do with spreadsheets:

• Import and export of .xls, .csv, .txt and .ods formatted data (and export functionality for .pdf and html).
• Enjoy intuitive navigation and editing, like any traditional document or spreadsheet.
• Use formatting and formula editing in spreadsheets so you can calculate results and make your data look the way you want it.
• Chat in real time with others who are editing your spreadsheet.
• Embed a spreadsheet, or a piece of a spreadsheet, in your blog or website.

To get started, go through the Google Docs tutorial.

Google Gadgets

Here’s how Google describes gadgets: “Google Gadgets are mini-applications that work with the Google homepage, Google Desktop, or any page on the web. They can range from simple…to complex applications, and can be a calendar, a weather globe, a media player, or anything else you can dream up.” Google Gadgets do all kinds of fun stuff. Browse through some you can add to your iGoogle page: http://www.google.com/ig. You can add these to the iGoogle homepage without being logged in, or if you log into Google you can save these to your own personalized iGoogle page. Here’s a sampling of some Google Gadgets you can download and add to your own Web site or blog.

For example, check out the Date & Time gadget:

(Click on the picture to see how to get the code to add this to your own site/blog.) We also have a Google Gadget to search the ACPL catalog:

• Sign into iGoogle.
• Click on “Add Stuff.”
• Then on the new page, click “Add by URL.”
• Use the URL http://thing1.acpl.lib.in.us/acpl_catalog.xml

Discovery Exercises

1. If you don’t already have a Gmail account, sign yourself up for one. How does it compare to other email interfaces you use? Use your blog to talk about your favorite.
2. Once you’re signed up, let the DC know, and we’ll share our Google username document with you. Add yourself to the list.
3. Configure an iGoogle page for yourself. If you find any cool or interesting gadgets, blog about them.

Flickr is not just for photography buffs. It’s a great place to store your photos so you have a backup if something bad happens. Let’s face it – computers give out, digital cameras are stolen, memory sticks/cards are lost. If this should happen to you, will you still have copies of your pictures? Not only is Flickr a great way to store your photos, it can also organize them. You can sort your photos into ‘sets’ (say, “Laura & Tony’s wedding”) and put multiple sets into ‘collections’ (i.e., a “family” collection may have sets of relatives’ birthdays, weddings, holidays, etc.). On each photo, you can add titles, descriptions, and tags (more about tags later). This is all fully searchable. But what if you don’t want it searchable – or even viewable – to others? No problem. Flickr allows you to make photos private so only you can see them. Or you can make them available to the contacts you have listed as ‘friends’ and/or ‘family’. Like other 2.0 tools we’re talking about, Flickr is more than a photo site. It can also be used for social networking.

So, what is Flickr?

Flickr is a photo sharing Web site. You can browse it for free. To add your own photos or leave comments on others’, you need to create an account.

Create an account

Flickr is now owned by Yahoo, so if you already have a Yahoo account, you can sign in with that. If you don’t have a Yahoo account, you can get signed up in minutes. Using Flickr is free with a Yahoo account, and paid Pro accounts ($25/year) are also available with space for more photos and additional features. Notice that the top navigation bar changes according to whether you are signed in to a Flickr account.

Here you are not signed in:

Here you are signed in:

See how your options change? I find the options to be very intuitive. Clicking on the little arrow next to the options lets you see more.

Tagging

• Users add their own keywords to images.
• Read more about tags.
• Search/browse tags to find images (yours and others).

Discovery Exercises

1. Search for photos tagged allen county public library or library.
2. Browse new/popular tags.

Social Networking

• Add other users as contacts. Once you have contacts, you can easily browse their newly added photos — just click on “Contacts” at the top of any page. The most recently added photos will be at the top left.
• Mark contacts as “friends” or “family” (or both) to control access to photos as you like. Or you can make them private and available only to you.
• Leave comments on photos.
• You can also add Notes – like transparent sticky notes – draw them on and add your own text to point out a specific part of a photo.

• • There are library groups you can keep an eye on – get program and display ideas!

Discovery Exercises

1. Add an interesting person as a contact.
2. Leave a comment on a photo you enjoy.

Share your photos online!

It’s easy to upload any digital picture: from a digital camera, CD, USB/flash drive. You can also scan print photos to digitize them.

How to upload photos

You can upload photos like crazy on your own Flickr account. The library also encourages you to add work photos to the ACPL account. See any DC member for sign in info.

1. Go to flickr.com
2. Sign in:
3. Click on Upload Photo

   OR, if you’ve already been surfing around on Flickr, go to You > Upload Photos.

   

   Flickr just launched a new Upload screen. You may see either of these layouts:

   

   

   Click on “Browse” or “Choose Photos” and find the photo(s) you’d like to upload. Notice you can add tags here (or later, if you’d like) and choose your privacy settings. Then just click the “Upload” or “Upload Photos” button. You will see that your photos are being processed, and then you can see them on your profile!NOTE: this is how you can add photos one by one. If you have multiple photos you’d like to add quickly, you can drag and drop multiple photos easily by downloading the Flickr Uploadr. The Uploadr works more quickly for some, use whichever method you prefer!

Discovery Exercises

1. Upload one of your photos to the ACPL account or your own.
2. Blog about your Flickr experiences.

Further Resources

• PLCMC’s Flickr intro
• King County’s Flickr intro
• Newbie’s guide to Flickr

1. Catalog your books, music, movies, meals and more.
2. Get suggestions on what to read, watch or eat from people who share your tastes.
3. Share your excitement about a great book, album, movie, meal, or gadget.

It’s a fun way not only to record what you’ve read or listened to or watched, but also to keep track of things you’d like to experience. From their FAQ page, HUH?:

What is All Consuming?

It’s a website where you can track and talk about the books, music, movies, food and other items that interest you. You can mark a product one of three ways: I am consuming this, I have consumed this, and I intend to consume this.

Why is it called All Consuming?

All Consuming means many things to many people. Some folks take it literally, as in “consumerism”. Others take it to mean being “consumed” by a great book, album, movie or delectable food. Think double entendre with a sprinkle of irony.

Create an account.

Click on LOGIN at the top of any page, and then click on “Create a new account.” You’ll notice this takes you to another site, 43things. All Consuming was developed by the same people, and your new login will work for both sites. (43things is cool in its own right and worth checking out if you have a little spare time.)

Search for and add items to your consumption.

• Once your account is created, you can search for items at the top — type in your keywords, select the format (book, music, movies, etc.), and then click the GO! button.
  
• Find the item you want in the search results and click it.



• Once you are on the correct page for the item, the What Say You? box at the top right of the screen displays three options: I intend to consume this, I am consuming this now!, and I have consumed this.
• If you mark it “I have consumed this,” the What Say You? box changes, and you can then rate whether it was Worth consuming!, or Not worth consuming. Wishy washy means you have no opinion and is the default; items you mark Wishy washy won’t display an opinion in your consumption list. You can also add a timeframe (some time ago, today, yesterday, a week ago, a month ago, exact date).
• You can also add tags to any item, add pictures, or write an entry to share your story/review/recommendation with others.
• Feel free to browse through others’ lists, ask for recommendations — or share your recommendations with others!
• You can also add a widget to your blog or Web site to display what you’re consuming.

Discovery Exercises

1. Create an All Consuming account.
2. Add at least one item in each major category: books, music, movies and food & drink.
3. Go back to All Consuming’s home page, and see if you can offer a suggestion to someone who’s looking for something new to read, listen to or watch.

Advantages

• 40-something patrons and younger are likely to use this tool for reference questions, and delivery of web-based information is as easy as copying the web address and pasting it into your Instant Message.
• Collaboration with many people is easier on IM than it is when using the telephone.
• It’s possible to have more than one conversation going at once.

Disadvantages

• With more than two people in the same conversation, the pace can be pretty fast.
• IM adds another layer to our already busy reference service.
• It’s possible to have more than one conversation going at once.

At a reference service point, IM has real potential. The collaborative aspect is not for everyone, but it can be useful. Once you complete the IM section of Learning 2.0, you’ll have a much better idea of whether or not it will be useful to you.

How to install Windows Live Messenger and create an account.

1. Download Windows Live Messenger and click on the Get it free button.
2. Find the installation program and double click it. (If you’re not sure where it went, click Start -> Search -> All Files and Folders -> type install_messenger in the “All or part of the filename box” -> click Search. Then you can double click it directly from the search results area.)
3. Start Windows Live Messenger. If you don’t already have an account, click the link near the bottom of the window, Sign up for a Windows Live ID, then click the “Sign Up” button in the browser window.
4. Select Use your own email address and fill in the rest of the required information (including typing the anti-bot characters into the box), and then press accept.

   NOTE: Right now, when I go to the “Sign Up” page, I don’t see the “Use your own email address” option. If this happens to you, click “Get help with this”, and in the help window, click the link near the top that says “Windows Live ID sign up page”. The resulting window should have the “Use your own email address” option. You can maximize this window and continue from there.

5. When you finish signing up, you will receive an e-mail message at the address you used to sign up with instructions for confirming your Windows Live ID.
6. If you get this message: “The .NET Passport or Windows Live ID you are signed into is not supported. Please set up a free email account” — chances are that it doesn’t mean anything. (It happened to me and I ignored it and was able to sign in.) Sign into your account on Windows Live Messenger.
7. Add some contacts and send some instant messages.

Tips and Tricks

• Contacts menu -> Add a contact: enter an email address and click Search.
• Tools -> Options -> Messages: Change your font color or style so that you can differentiate your own messages from the rest. Increase the size of your font for easier-on-the-eyes reading, and enlarge or maximize the chat window so you can see more messages at a time.

Change settings for safety and to reduce annoyances.

• Tools -> Options -> General: uncheck “Show Windows Live Today”.
• Tools -> Options -> Messages: Winks and Nudges are cute, but potentially annoying. Check or uncheck appropriate boxes as you see fit.
• Tools -> Options -> Alerts and Sounds: If the computer you use has sound, you’ll want to set these the way you want. “Display alerts when a message is received” should probably be checked; all others are optional.
• Tools -> Options -> File Transfer: check “Automatically reject file transfers for known unsafe file types”; uncheck “Automatically share backgrounds …”
• Tools -> Options -> Privacy: check “Only people on my allow list can see my status and send me messages.” Also, move “All Others” to the Block List on the right.
• Tools -> Options -> Security: check “This is a shared computer …” if you’re using a shared computer. Check “Allow links in the conversation window.” Check “Encrypt contact list data …”

Discovery Exercises

1. If you don’t have one already, create an IM account with Windows Live Messenger.
2. Roleplay a reference or directional transaction with one of our IM experts: Ian, Katie, Lynn, Sara, Sean.
3. Chat for a few minutes with at least two other staff about a topic of your choice.