Thing #46: Updates

Since starting the original 23 things, I have become quite familiar with using Wiki tools and RSS feeds so for the update exercise, I focussed on other Web 2.0 tools that I have not used since my initial exposure to them.

Firstly, I looked at Flickr which has changed its layout in the last year. The ads are not so much in the way of the options on the home page, making it easier to navigate through the options. Another improvement is that you can now view the slideshow on Flickr in full screen. I discovered a new Flickr Group called Free Use Photos: http://flickr.com/groups/freeuse/. The photos in this group can be used with no fear of copyright restrictions. There are now 3000 photos in the group so it's worth checking out this collection when you need an image. I also found out that museums (e.g., Powerhouse Museum in Sydney) are adding their historical images to Flickr Commons.

LibraryThing has grown in popularity throughout the last year. The service is still free for up to 200 books. Like many of the Web 2.0 technologies, the social networking application of LibraryThing has expanded so it's now possible to import book lists directly into a Facebook profile and you can add New Tags so that you can find friends on LibraryThing. I was interested in finding out about the use of LibraryThing by actual libraries. On the Association of College and Research Libraries blog at http://acrlog.org, I found out that the Claremont Colleges Libraries are adding LibraryThing tags to their catalogue records. I had a look at their catalogue online and couldn't see any of the LT tags so maybe the tags are not available for all items or maybe they are only accessible by the students and faculty members. A librarian from the Colleges said that the tags were very easy to use but she did not think that the users made much use of them (likewise she commented that LCSH do not get much use either!). There is a Legacy Libraries collection on LibraryThing: the libraries of famous people such as Lawrence of Arabia and General George S Patton, Jnr have been catalogued using LT!

I was pleased to see that del.icio.us.com has become delicious.com! I was clearly one of the majority who had trouble remembering where to put the dots in the name! This tool has also improved the design of its layout.

I'm still using Blogger for my second lot of 23 things but discovered that you can add Geotags to posts - these Geotags act as a link to GoogleMaps! The interconnectedness of the Web 2.0 technologies is what has impressed me most about the direction taken by the 23 things in the year since I started to use them.