LIS 9763

Well this course certainly has flown by! I can't believe it's mid-April already.... Without further ado, here are my 7 answers...
  1. Has your view of social software changed since starting this course? If so, how?

I'm not sure if my views of social software as a whole have changed. I've always seen the potential for social software to grow and evolve as a communication tool, and the discussions this term further cemented those thoughts. What has changed is my view of social software in the library. While there is still a bit of cynicism lurking in me with regards to whether or not the novelty will wear off, I am much more receptive to the idea of social software in libraries after seeing some really interesting real-life examples.

   2. Of all the social tools we've reviewed this term, what are your "favourite" tools for libraries and why? What would you consider to be the low-hanging fruit, i.e. the tools that could be implemented easily and with the greatest impact?

I think anything that involves tagging has the potential to really revolutionize the way online information can be integrated into the library. I think a tool such as Delicious combined with RSS feeds will eventually change how new information is communicated.

   3. What social software tools (if any) do you consider to have the least potential for library service and why?

Gaming -- and in particular, Second Life. I know I might be in the minority here and that there are a ton of libraries embracing this, but I've yet to see witness truly large buy-in to SL. In fact, it seems to me that the major proponents of SL are the librarians. I've come across very few instances where the patrons are espousing the greatness of SL as a reference or resource tool.

   4. Tell us about your personal experiences with the social software tools we’ve used & looked at this term. Which tools have worked for you, which haven’t?

All the tools have worked for me, just on different levels. I came into this course with knowledge of a wide variety of SS tools, but little willingness to learn them in-depth. I'm now an avid Delicious tagger and I find Flickr to be more an information resource than image storage facility. I'm somewhat indifferent to blogging and social networks, and I really don't enjoy the "gaming" component. But they've all taught me different lessons about Social Software, so they've all been useful in one way or another.

   5. How has the distance ed. experience been for you?

I don't enjoy Distance Ed. classes. This is nothing to do with the course, I just find the nature of distance courses frustrating. I much prefer to communicate in person and hash out ideas that way, and I find that the online educational experience tends to suffer as a result of that lack of personal communication. That being said, there are few courses that could overcome such limitations and this one definitely did.

   6. Do you have any suggestions for improving the learning experience of this course? (e.g. readings, weekly activities, assignments, etc.) (be honest, I can take it!)

My only suggestion would be to have some more recently reading material. The world of online interaction is changing so rapidly that content from 2007, or 2006 is already dated.

 7. How would you sum up your experience over the past 13 weeks?

My experience was generally enjoyable. There were a few difficulties encountered, and mostly having to do with the distance element ;) but overall I thought the content was interesting and the class discussions enjoyable.