Thing 34 Is It Competition? Online Answer Sites

Thing 34: I read the Future of the Reference Desk, That Thing You Do & Evolution to Revolution. The article that really resonated with me was the second one. It was a balanced approach as to what libraries are really doing for the public. The author made the point that 2.0 is catching up with us (libraries). We have always been a social meeting place. Yes, we need to be aware of how we need to change to be relevant. Frankly, the online answer sites have evolved into just another social "network." Some of the answers seem to be quite good, but mostly it has turned out to be another place to "connect" with the world. I have not been involved in any of the slams, but it is a reminder to the public that the library is a good place to get real info.

Thing 33 Travel 2.0

Thing 33: I read the article What is Travel 2.0. When my husband and I traveled to England and Wales last September, we had already used TripAdvisor. I did not realize that Expedia owned TripAdvisor. Green Routes (green businesses in Minnesota & elsewhere) would be a helpful site for our library to bookmark.

Thing 32: Google Maps & Mashups

Thing 32: I viewed the videos of Google Maps Introduction and How to Create a "My Map" in Google Maps. I was able to do a street view for my own address, but when I plugged in my son's address, the street view was not an option. I created a map of how to get from my home to my church. There ARE a lot of map options on the internet.