Delicious

I found Delicious.com to be very confusing and hard to get around. I created an account, but every time I tried to add a link they suggested to my own account, it would go back to the "create an account" page. This was immediately frustrating. Even without this hiccup, it seems as if the site isn't very self-explanatory, as even Learning 2.0 had to offer tutorials. However, once I downloaded the Chrome extension of the site, I thought it was a nice alternative to the bookmark function that already came with the browser. The idea is also very useful if I were to often switch computers. Bookmarks are very important when researching, and I can see Delicious as being very useful for this purpose. I'm not sure, however, how useful this would be to libraries, as it seems most relevant to individual use.

RSS feeds

I've been familiar with how RSS works for a little while now, but I have yet to really use it. I always feel like there is so much (too much) to read on the internet, and I do need something to feed me what I'll find most interesting, but for some reason I have yet to really attempt this. They are incredibly useful, however, for keeping up to date on news--both in the library world and elsewhere. Libraries can get a lot of use out of RSS. Having an RSS feed right on the library website can educate patrons on what is happening in libraries around the world. When patrons subscribe to their particular library's RSS, they should have the ability to see what programs are being offered that day or week, even if they don't remember to visit the library's website.

Wikis

I haven't had a lot of experience with wikis--except of course for Wikipedia. I find the concept of wikis to be useful in terms of a sort of collective blog, but suspect when it comes to factual information. I browsed around the wikis that Learning 2.0 suggested and found the Book Lovers Wiki to be especially interesting. I think this use of a wiki would be very useful on a library's website. In this Book Lovers Wiki it displays multiple people reviewing multiple books, giving those who visit the site ideas for their next book. I think this would really encourage library patrons to take out more books. Staff Picks are one thing, but wikis demonstrate how the average person feels about a particular book. I love non-fiction, especially biographies and memoirs, and there seem to be a bunch of great suggestions. Wikis seem very useful for helping patrons feel as if they are an active part of their library community.