Thing #18 Wikis

The DFW 23 Things wiki is not hard to maneuver once you get the hang of it. I think all wikis are set up a little different. I did add one sub-sub page before realizing I needed to click back on my main page before adding a new sub page. Not difficult at all and a good networking tool. I post weekly on the wiki utilized by the Fort Worth Library and find it a great tool for professional communication.

Thing #17 LibWorm

LibWorm is fun to search and I found it comparable to Google except it is geared toward the library profession. As an archivist I am always interested in searching using the keyword archives or archivist. I did get several hits for Texas archives and interestingly enough the Portal to Texas History popped up. I did get a few hits on Fort Worth Library and more results using the phrase Fort Worth "Public" Library. I like the user friendliness of LibWorm and its functionality.

Thing #16 LibraryThing

I subscribed to LibraryThing over a year ago and love it! Currently I have 150 books catalogued on the site. "Recent recommendations" are nice to peruse and are geared toward member's likes refecting his/her catalogued books. I tag and rate every book I catalog. There are so many options for following blogs, groups and social networking sites that I do not follow chats on LibraryThing, but use it as a personal cataloging tool. However, I do like to read reviews on the books I am cataloging. Often I cannot find a book using the LOC search and have to revert to Amazon.com; I would like to see this changed and reading on Thingology it looks as though getting a better handle on matching up ISBNs is in future works for LibraryThing.

Thing #15 Digg

Interesting and informative site! I like the fact that the news feeds are categorized: technology, science, gaming, entertainment, sports, etc. The fact that posts can be customized gives insight to a members personality. I did not create an account on Digg, but did play around with the site quite a bit and feeling news deprived most of the time will most likely do so in the near future. A site that is policed by the members is unique unless I am mistaken and refreshing. A site named Digg where the members can "bury" miscreants is a hoot.

Thing #14 Delicious

I can be found at http://delicious.com/bkshankle on Delicious. This social networking tool is effective for research when away from the office. It is nice to have all bookmarks accessible on one site; releives the aggravation of trying to remember them. I could not master the art of adding buttons; however added bookmarks and imported bookmarks. I had actually set up an account a few months ago and this exercise reminded me how useful the site can be.

Thing #13 Tagging

I have used tagging with Library Thing; it is an interesting technique that I am still trying to decide whether or not is practical. Being an archivist first and librarian second I do like organization: the everything in its place and a place for everything mentality. Tagging may complement an individual's idiosyncrasies; however the masses as a whole will most likely be confused trying to make sense of tags used by others. I do not beleive tagging belongs in the library or the archives world. We need set standards such as subject headings and should discourage the use of tags. My two cents!

Thing #12 Twitter

Twitter is a bit clunky with less glamour than some other social networking sites. The last time I heard Twitter mentioned before creating an account was from reading about it on TMZ.com. Using Twitter I baceame a "follower" of several people/organizations including Fort Worth Library and the Society of American Archivists. I watched the "help" video and posted Twits/Tweets. I did not use my email information to request followers because I wanted to protect my privacy. I used the search function to locate Tweet pages that are interesting to me.